Henry Nowak arrest footage raises 'serious questions for police', PM says

Henry Nowak arrest footage raises 'serious questions for police', PM says 33 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Jake Lapham The BBC has chosen to remove the sound in parts of this video due to its distressing content Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says there are "serious questions for police" following the release of bodycam vision showing how officers responded to the murder of teenager Henry Nowak. His killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed on Monday for life to serve a minimum of 21 years for stabbing Nowak with a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith. Bodycam footage shows the 18-year-old Southampton university student being handcuffed and telling police "I can't breathe" after Digwa lied to officers at the scene of the stabbing, claiming he was the victim of a racist attack. Sir Keir said the question of "how accusations of racism informed decision making" must be addressed. Speaking to broadcasters, he said the bodycam footage was "really harrowing" and he'd "felt sick watching it". The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an investigation into the police force's actions was ongoing. Sir Keir said he wouldn't rule out an inquiry into the matter, saying "it's important the IOPC do their work at first, but I'm not saying there shouldn't be a wider inquiry. Of course I'm not". Warning: This story contains details some may find upsetting Earlier, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called out a "dangerous undercurrent" in reaction to crimes, which she says are leading to threats. A police officer has been "forced to relocate to protect himself and his family", after being wrongly identified online as being involved in the case, she said. In an address to the House of Commons, Mahmood warned against opposition MPs politicising the case. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told reporters he had a sense of "cold rage" at the treatment of Nowak and labelling it evidence of a "two-tier Britain". "A false accusation of racism counted higher at that moment than someone that was dying," he said. In a statement to the House of Commons, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the "police appeared more concerned with the accusation of racism… than they were with helping Henry". Mahmood said that while it was for the IOPC to determine the facts of the specific case, she responded to allegations of preferential treatment by police more broadly. "The police in this country have a sacred duty to police without fear or favour. Everyone in this country is equal before the law," she said. The prime minister's official spokesman said there is "no such thing as two-tier policing". Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, himself a Sikh, accused Reform UK and other far-right parties of deciding to "scapegoat" the Sikh community "based on the actions of one violent murderer." Henry Nowak case reignites claims of unfair policing Police handout Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life on Monday and told he would serve a minimum of 21 years The