Policing minister Sarah Jones has admitted that a controversial police document on anti-racism “gives the wrong impression”, prompting accusations of a Labour U-turn. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) guidance states that “producing equality of policing outcomes” does not “mean treating everyone the same”.
Ms Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It feels wrong. It’s a values document rather than a training document, and it feels wrong. I think it needs to be looked at.” She added that the document “is not written in the way that it should be” and should be reviewed, but cautioned against “ripping up the whole system”.
The controversy follows the murder of Henry Nowak, with critics claiming “two-tier” policing contributed to the failure to protect him. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The Police Anti-Racism Commitment is immoral and dangerous and is itself racist. It expressly calls for different ethnic groups to be treated different to artificially engineer the same arrest rates.”
Sources close to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that police chiefs are reviewing the “wording” of the document. NPCC chairman Chief Constable Gavin Stephens defended the intent, saying: “It is essential that we police without fear or favour… We are listening to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments are worded, and where needed we can and will make changes.”
