The acting chief of West Midlands Police has stated that there is no 'two-tier policing' in the region, in the wake of the murder of Henry Nowak. Acting Chief Constable Scott Green made the comments during an appearance on the Ed James show on BBC Radio WM on June 3, where he was questioned about the high-profile case that originated in Southampton.
During the interview, Mr Green was played the harrowing audio in which the 18-year-old victim, Henry Nowak, told police he had been stabbed, adding 'I can't breathe' as officers handcuffed him. The arrest was made as a result of a false allegation of racism made by his killer, Vickrum Digwa. Mr Nowak died shortly after having been stabbed five times, including a fatal wound to his heart.
Response to the Tragic Incident
When asked how he felt listening to that audio, ACC Green said: 'Probably the same as everybody else that listens to it and also as somebody who is a father of two young adults. It's absolutely tragic. Henry's death is tragic and on behalf of both myself as a human and West Midlands Police, we are truly sorry to Henry's family and his tragic loss.'
He added: 'It is reassuring hopefully to all of us his murderer has been convicted and imprisoned and we understand that sentence may well be reviewed. But listening to that and seeing the footage is tragic and it's tragic seeing a young man's life being lost on our streets in an act of violence.'
Allegations of Two-Tier Policing
When questioned about allegations of two-tier policing, Mr Green said it would be inappropriate to comment further on the specific case as an investigation into the officer's conduct is ongoing. However, he stated: 'We police without fear or favour but that's really hard. It's really hard to do in a more polarized society and it's harder to do when there is more political rhetoric around the things we do and the way policing operates.'
He continued: 'But what I see everyday from the officers and staff and volunteers on the front line is people out there doing the very best they can everyday for the communities they serve. We strive every single day to simply police without fear or favour, to do the very best we can with the resources we have got to keep 2.9 million people safe.'
Training and Diversity
Mr Green highlighted that West Midlands Police has 'invested significantly' to train officers to understand the diverse population they serve. This includes training on the force's black history, what it means to be a Jew in Britain, and what it means to be a Muslim. However, he rejected claims from figures including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage that police take allegations of racism more seriously than others.
Mr Green said: 'We should never take any steps from stifling our politicians from making the statements they make. There is no training in place that says we have to take allegations of racism over anything else. We judge every situation based on the facts in front of us and strive to do our very best on every occasion.'
The acting chief concluded: 'The job of police officers is to police. My day job is to lead the police force. I don't think we have our hands tied. I think we have flexibility and operational independence to operate in a way that is right and appropriate.'
