A UK police document advising officers to treat people differently based on ethnicity has faced fierce criticism following the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak.
The guidance, part of the Police Race Action Plan published in March 2025, encourages forces to “reverse engineer” arrest rates across ethnic groups.
The document in question is the Police Anti-Racism Commitment, launched in March 2025 as part of an update to the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP).
This national plan, developed jointly by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, aims to make policing “anti-racist” and achieve “racial equity” in outcomes for Black communities.
It explicitly states that anti-racism “does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’.” Instead, it calls for proactively tackling racial disparities, including by reforming policies and practices that lead to different ethnic groups being “over-policed” or facing unequal outcomes.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP called for its immediate withdrawal in Parliament.The controversy exploded after bodycam footage from the December 3, 2025, stabbing in Southampton.
Officers were seen handcuffing the dying Nowak as he pleaded “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe.”His killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, had falsely claimed racial abuse. Police initially treated Nowak as the suspect.
Hampshire Police has apologised and referred the officers to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Nowak’s family described the response as “inhumane.”Critics argue the race-conscious guidance creates “two-tier” policing and may have contributed to the officers’ hesitation. Calls are growing for the document to be scrapped entirely.
