Chief constables are under mounting pressure to abandon their controversial 'two-tier' commitment, which advocates for treating white people differently from ethnic minorities. The so-called Anti-Racism Commitment, published last year by policing leaders, states that 'racial equity' should not equate to 'treating everyone the same or being colour blind'. Instead, it aims to achieve 'equality of policing outcomes' by eliminating racial disparities in the likelihood of individuals being criminalised.
Background of the Police Race Action Plan
This commitment forms part of the multi-million pound Police Race Action Plan, established after the killing of George Floyd in the United States, with the goal of 'improving trust and confidence in policing among Black communities' in the UK. However, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing are now facing calls to scrap the pledge, following outrage over the treatment of Henry Nowak. Nowak was handcuffed while dying after his killer falsely claimed to officers that he had been a victim of racism.
Political Reaction
In the House of Commons, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the pledge, asserting that it 'urges police forces to reverse engineer the same arrest rates – despite the fact the offending rates are not the same - by treating different ethnic groups differently'. He emphasised to MPs: 'Let that sink in for a moment: an official police document actually says that people should be treated differently based on the colour of their skin. The dangerous ideology of so-called anti-racism – which says people should be treated differently based on race – is wrong and should be ended. The police have allowed extreme activists to hijack their policy-making process and this is where it has led. It has no place in policing. It has no place anywhere.'
Philp urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to intervene and scrap the commitment, which he described as both dangerous and 'morally wrong'. Mahmood responded by acknowledging the importance of maintaining public confidence in policing across all communities, adding: 'I think he will acknowledge that there is a history and a context here relating to racism and the police. Whatever changes are made, it is important that nobody over-corrects or course-corrects in such a way that all of us citizens are no longer equal before the law.'
Internal Review and Scaling Back
Sources close to the Home Secretary admitted that the wording in the police anti-racism commitment is 'clumsy'. A source stated: 'The NPCC is rightly reviewing the wording to ensure there is no ambiguity, so everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.' NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens commented: 'We are listening to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments are worded or phrased, and where needed we can and will make changes, but this should not detract from the intent, which is to improve the quality of policing.'
Additionally, the NPCC confirmed that its Police Race Action Plan has been 'scaled back this year to a much smaller national team', with a budget of £387,000 for the current financial year, a significant reduction from £1.3 million the previous year.
Reform UK's Stance
Reform UK has pledged to ban police race action plans, along with Diversity Equality and Inclusion (EDI) training, as part of an 'Equal Treatment Act' if it wins the next election. The party's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, stated: 'The tragic death of Henry Nowak is a horrific example of two-tier policing in Britain. The accusation of racism was dealt with more seriously than the accusation of being stabbed. This is a direct result of police initiatives like the Hampshire Police Race Action Plan which trains officers to do this. A Reform government will pass an Equal Treatment Act, which will end two-tier policing for good.'
Government Denial and Expert Criticism
Downing Street insisted yesterday that there is 'no such thing as two-tier policing'. However, former Scotland Yard officer and Government adviser Rory Geoghegan countered: 'No10 should familiarise themselves with the 'commitment to racial equity'. It specifically urges police officers to treat people differently based on the colour of their skin. It should be withdrawn.'
