One of Britain's most senior police officers has said that official anti-racism guidance has fuelled the perception of two-tier policing, though he rejected claims of anti-white bias. Sir Stephen Watson, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, said the force had 'over-corrected' in its guidance, which he argued had allowed the impression to take hold that police are not impartial.
Watson pointed to the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) 2025 'anti-racism commitment', which advises officers to treat suspects differently based on ethnicity. He said this guidance should be reviewed following the murder of Henry Nowak, which sparked riots in Southampton and accusations of two-tier policing from figures including Nigel Farage and the Trump administration.
'I don't think it's justified, but I can understand where it's coming from,' Watson said of the two-tier policing claim. He added that policing had 'adopted the language of activism' and that forces should be 'a little less timid about making sure we emphasise our impartiality'.
The policing minister, Sarah Jones, has previously called the NPCC guidance wrong, while acknowledging the history of racism in policing. Watson, known as Britain's 'anti-woke' police chief for instructing officers not to take the knee during Black Lives Matter protests, said police should not use the language of being 'anti-racist' as it implies an activist role.
Watson warned that British policing faces its biggest challenge in nearly 40 years due to 'distrust, disorder and division' across society. He said it would not be surprising if widespread disorder erupted again this summer, given the current climate and social media amplification of inflammatory rhetoric.
