How the myth of ‘two-tier policing’ took hold
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is The Guardian.
What is the myth of two-tier policing?
Today, the myth of two-tier policing.
This week, one phrase, once only heard on the fringes of the far right, has been everywhere.
That's two-tier policing. Two-tier policing.
A two-tier policing system. You must be blind in this country if you do not think that there is any form of two-tier policing. It's been parroted in Parliament by Nigel Farage, on social media by Elon Musk and on the ground by far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson as violent anti-police protests erupted around them in Southampton.
It's come after the tragedy of the death of 18-year-old Henry Novak, who was stabbed by Vikram Digwa and then arrested as he lay dying. Terrible mistakes were made by the police.
How has the narrative of two-tier policing spread?
Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.
To his family, Henry's death is a warning about the dangers of knife crime. Yet, since Digwer's conviction, their son's death has been shaped into something very different, with claims that it is proof, because Henry was white and his assailant Asian, that white people are treated unfairly and discriminated against by the police. The government has now rushed to push back, with Keir Starmer meeting with Henry's family. But is it already too late to dispel the two-tier policing myth?
It feels a little bit like the genie's out of the bottle, partly because many of the individuals that passionately believe this haven't necessarily rationalised themselves into it. It's very hard to rationalise them out of it with evidence or statistics or facts. It's just a feeling, it's a sense.
What events led to the rise of the two-tier policing myth?
And so once people are into these spaces, it becomes really, really hard to get them out of them.
From The Guardian, I'm Annie Kelly. Today in Focus, how a far-right policing conspiracy took root in the UK. Hugh Muir, your executive editor in opinion at The Guardian. You have reported on race and policing extensively over the decades. This week, we've seen protests on the streets of Southampton following the conviction of Vikram Digwar for the killing of Henry Novak. Tell us what happened.
Andy, the most dreadful case, you have Henry Novak. He's a young man. He's 18.
Why do some believe two-tier policing discriminates against white people?
He's from the Trafford 100 in Essex. And he's gone to university in Southampton to study accountancy. And he's basically doing what you expect undergrads to do. He's having a good time. He's making friends. And on the night in question, he was playing football with his friends and he was walking home. And in ways we don't completely understand, he had an encounter with Vikram Digra, a tussle for a phone. But what we do know is that at some point, Vikram Digra's brother called the police, said his brother had been racially abused. The police came. And then they had a choice about what to do about that situation because they had Vikram Digra and his brother there.
How is the death of Henry Novak relevant to this discussion?
But also they had Henry Novak, who was lying on the ground and saying quite clearly that he had been stabbed and that he was in a bad way. And the choice was... what to prioritise in that situation. There's a video of it, really, really distressing. What's your name, mate?
Huh?
Because you can clearly hear Henry Nowak saying, I have been stabbed.
Right, let's get you out of there, shall we?
And in an echo of that terrible case in America, George Floyd, he's also saying, I can't breathe. Grab his other arm.
What role do far-right figures play in promoting this myth?
The police officer says, I do not believe you. You've been stabbed. Whereabouts? I don't think you have, mate.
I mean, and the video is so distressing, isn't it? It's so young, only 18 years old. Just such a tragedy.
Oh, absolutely. As I say, anyone who sent a child away to university will really feel that.
And as you said, you know, the death has been very swiftly co-opted by the far right and reform against the very express wishes of his family as well.
How does public sentiment influence perceptions of policing?
That's exactly right. You have to absolutely start there. Immediately after the sentencing on Monday, Henry's father, Mark... said the family will carry the grief of this for every single day. And of course, that must be true.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:08
2
What is the myth of two-tier policing?
0:08–1:09
3
How has the narrative of two-tier policing spread?
1:09–2:10
4
What events led to the rise of the two-tier policing myth?
2:10–2:52
5
Why do some believe two-tier policing discriminates against white people?
2:52–3:28
6
How is the death of Henry Novak relevant to this discussion?
3:28–4:03
7
What role do far-right figures play in promoting this myth?
4:03–4:38
8
How does public sentiment influence perceptions of policing?
4:38–27:24