'There is no two-tier West Midlands policing'
WMPThe acting chief of West Midlands Police says there is no "two-tier policing" in the West Midlands, in the wake of the murder of student Henry Nowak.
His remarks came after the release of bodycam footage showing how officers responded to the murder of Henry Nowak, prompting outrage at the teenager's death.
The case led to the Conservatives and Reform UK saying the UK should not have "two-tier policing," with people treated differently because of the colour of their skin. Downing Street rejected the claim such discrimination existed.
Acting Chief Constable Scott Green admitted it was difficult in a "a more polarized society" but his force tried to "police without fear or favour".
"What I see every day from the officers and staff and volunteers on the front line is people out there doing the very best they can everyday, for the communities they serve," he said.
Novak, 18, was handcuffed after his killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, lied to police at the scene of the 2025 stabbing, claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Footage released by the force shows him pleading "I've been stabbed" and an officer replying "I don't think you have mate".
Nowak suffered stab wounds to his legs and a fatal wound to his heart from a 21cm (8in) blade that Digwa said he carried as part of his Sikh faith. He was jailed for life with a minimum 21-year term.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there were "serious questions for police" after the footage was released, which he described as "harrowing".
When asked how he felt, listening to the bodycam footage Green said: "Probably the same as everybody else that listens to it and also as somebody who is a father of two young adults.
"Henry's death is tragic and on behalf on both myself as a human and West Midlands Police, we are truly sorry to Henry's family and his tragic loss.
"It is reassuring hopefully to all of us his murderer has been convicted and imprisoned and we understand that sentence may well be reviewed.
"But listening to that and seeing the footage is tragic and it's tragic seeing a young man's life being lost on our streets in an act of violence."
Green then said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the specific case further as an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation was being carried out into officers' actions
"I'm qualified to talk about West Midlands Police, and we police without fear or favour, but that's really hard," the West Midlands acting chief said.
He described it as increasingly difficult to do in "a more polarized society and it's harder to do when there is more political rhetoric around the things we do and the way policing operates".
"We strive every single day to simply police without fear or favour, to do the very best we can with the resources we have got to keep 2.9 million people safe," Green added.
This included training on the force's black history, he said, and what it meant to be Jewish and Muslim in Britain.
"Educating them about the history of policing's relationship with communities is really important," Green said.
A listener to BBC Radio Wm raised their concern that police officers have their "hands tied" for fear of being "classed as racist if they do anything".
But Green rejected the idea that his officers were restricted in doing their job.
"I think we have the flexibility and the operational independent to operate in the way that is right and appropriate you know within our system of policing and police governance," he said.
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