Top officer says anti-racism guidance has fuelled myth of two-tier policing

Policing in Britain has “adopted the language of activism” and official guidance has “over-corrected” to combat accusations of racism, one of the UK’s most senior officers has said. Sir Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester police, said he did not believe that “two-tier policing” existed or that forces were biased against white people. Police had, however, allowed that perception to take hold in part as a result of anti-racism guidance that advised officers to treat suspects differently depending on their ethnicity. Watson said the official guidance, produced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in 2025, should be reviewed after the murder of Henry Nowak , whose treatment by officers prompted riots in Southampton and accusations of two-tier policing from Nigel Farage and the Trump administration. “Particularly in the light of the tragic murder of Henry Nowak, I do understand that this idea that two-tier policing takes place is now widespread,” he said. “I don’t think it’s justified, but I can understand where it’s coming from.” Watson, who is tipped as the potential successor to Sir Mark Rowley as the head of the Metropolitan police, said forces must be “a little less timid about making sure we emphasise our impartiality”. He said policing had “in some cases over-corrected” in official guidance which has “allowed the impression to take hold that we’re not policing without fear or favour”. …