Watch the moment GB News host Alex Armstrong challenges Labour MP Sarah Jones on whether the treatment of Henry Nowak by police officers is symptomatic of “two-tier” policing in Britain.
Speaking to the People’s Channel, the Policing Minister assured that “everyone is equal under the law”, and in the vast majority of cases, “the police respond in the right way”.
Pressed on whether she believes the handling of Mr Nowak’s murder was an example of “two-tier policing”, Ms Jones said Hampshire Police have “questions to answer”.
She told GB News: “Henry told the police that he had been stabbed, he told the police multiple times that he couldn’t breathe and for some reason, which is being investigated, the police didn’t respond in the way that I think all of us would think they should have done.
“We have to understand why the drivers behind that. We don’t know at this point, but are there questions to answer here, of course there are.”
Ms Jones added: “But would I want to draw a wider conclusion at this point before the IOPC have finished their investigation? That wouldn’t be right for me to do as Policing Minister.”
Alex then named several cases which demonstrated examples of “institutionalised racism”, pressing the minister on whether there is a “fear of racism” within policing.
He told Ms Jones: “Sara Sharif, Valdo Calacane, the Manchester terror attacker, Pakistani raid gangs – do you acknowledge that there might be institutionalised racism with inside the police, a fear of the racism itself, particularly when it comes to calling out some of those people?
Alex Armstrong challenged Policing Minister Sarah Jones on the ‘connection’ between several ethnic minority criminals and a ‘fear of racism’
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GB NEWS
“Because there’s a fear in the police that calling out anybody that might be of an ethnic minority, including the case of Axel Rudakubana as well. Do you do you acknowledge that people believe there is a two-tier policing system because of things like DEI?”
Ms Jones responded: “I gave evidence to the Nottingham Inquiry a few days ago, looking into what on earth happened there. There are multiple issues at play in that case which is why we have asked for an investigation and inquiry, a proper judge led inquiry which is undergoing now, and we will get to the bottom of what happened.
“And if there was a situation where judgments were made on the basis of race that was wrong, then we will act for sure. But we don’t know the outcome yet.”
Interjecting Ms Jones, Alex hit back: “Hang on, I’m sorry, I reject that. I would like to challenge you because we do know from what the inquiry has already said that Valdo Calocane was released because there was a worry that there was too many ethnic minority people institutionalised.
Over a thousand protesters have gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station to demand that action be taken after the murder of Henry Nowak | GETTY
“The same for Sara Sharif, people did not investigate her case properly because they were worried about racial fears. The same for Axel Rudakubana, he wasn’t arrested despite carrying a knife because again, fears of racism. The Pakistani rape gangs, institutionalised cover up because of a fear of racism.
“The Manchester terror attacker wasn’t stopped because one of the members of staff was was fearing being called a racist. Can you see the connection? That’s what I’m asking you.”
The Policing Minister told GB News: “I can see the concern that you’re raising, of course I can, and everyone is equal under the law. The police have to respond in that way, all our institutions have to respond in that way. That is what people are trained to do.
“If we need to change the training, we’ll change the training. All I’m saying is that we don’t have all the answers in the Nottingham case. We’ve had the first part of the Southport inquiry, and we are responding to that and changing what we do and changing how we think about violent obsessed individuals.”
Ms Jones told GB News that if things need to change, ‘we will change them’
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GB NEWS
Ms Jones concluded: “So we will learn the lessons, and if there is a race element, we will respond to that. We must not shy away from that, and you’re absolutely right to say that the grooming scandal, which is one of the darkest moments of our history, did exactly that.
“So we have to be clear eyed about this for sure. What we conclude from Henry Nowak and his horrific murder is going to come when we’ve had the IOPC investigation. But of course, if things need to change, we need to change them.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: “As part of our ongoing investigation, we are reviewing a large amount of police body-worn footage which we need to consider the context with other evidence that we’ve obtained, including review material presented during the murder trial as we establish the full circumstances.
“The officers involved are currently being treated as witnesses, however, as with all investigations, this is kept under review throughout.”