Politics latest: Henry Nowak protesters hurl bottles and bricks at police in violent clashes

Policing Minister Sarah Jones has said she believes a document outlining the police’s commitment to anti-racism is “wrong”.

The document, produced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), states that officers should respond to individuals and communities “according to their specific needs”; This “does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind'”.

Asked whether the document was in line with the government’s insistence that police treat everyone equally, Ms Jones said: “I think it was clumsy and I think their review was correct.”

He told Sky News: “It’s quite a small values ​​document, a sort of summary, and I think it’s not written as well as it should be and it’s right that it should be reviewed.

“But I don’t think that should mean that we should dismantle the whole system – we’re not doing that – but I think that document is wrong.”

Police minister Sarah Jones told Times Radio that people with understandable anger over the Henry Nowak case should “let justice do its thing”.

He said: “First of all, everyone should be equal before the law and we must ensure that it is so.

“Secondly, we cannot avoid historical and legitimate concerns about racism within police forces.

“We have seen this in many ways over the years and we should not shy away from it.

“That’s why there’s a race action plan introduced under the last government to make sure the training and support for officers is what it should be.

“Personally, if you look at the thousands of incidents where police respond to 100,000 999 calls every day, you will see that in the vast majority of cases the police get this balance right.

“But it is true, it is also true that wherever mistakes are made, we enlighten them, learn from them and move forward.”

He added: “We’re urging people to acknowledge the anger they feel, which I understand, but let’s let justice take its course and not overreact, which is what the family wants from us.”

Police minister Sarah Jones said two people were arrested following chaos following the murder of Henry Nowak in Southampton.

He urged people not to “overreact” after the student was killed by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, who told police attending the stabbing in Southampton on December 3, 2025, that he was the victim of a racist attack.

Ms Jones told Times Radio: “Some of what we saw yesterday was unacceptable.

“From what I understand from this morning’s briefing, there have been two arrests, one for assaulting a police officer and the other for possession of a weapon.

“We can’t let it happen, that’s what the family has said, we need to take our lead from them and they’ve acted in such a dignified way that it’s quite extraordinary and I think a lot of us think we probably wouldn’t be able to do that if we were in that situation – but they said we don’t want to create any more division or hatred or tension and I think we need to respect that.”

The Labor MP for Thurrock in Kent, where Henry Nowak is from, has condemned the footage of Henry Nowak’s wrongful arrest as “absolutely appalling”.

“I can’t imagine what the family was thinking when they watched this, what it must have felt like for them to watch their loved ones spend their final moments in such a horrific way,” Jen Craft said. The Cathy Newman Show on Sky.

“And it’s like the cold anger that always comes over you when you see something like this happen.”

Asked if he shared the sentiments of Nigel Farage, who used the phrase “cold anger”, he said: “I share the anger I felt watching what happened to my constituents; he was, in every way, a really lovely young man with so much warmth around him.”

“I think the anger I feel comes from seeing how unfair it felt to have him treated that way in his final moments.”

The Independent’s crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin reports:

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said they would, if necessary, amend some provisions of the Police Anti-Racism Pledge published last year by the Police Racism Action Plan.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “It is essential that we police without fear or favor to keep the peace and enforce the law.

“We must do this to gain the trust of all societies.

“We also know that those from black communities have the lowest levels of trust in the police.

“Recent independent investigations by Baroness Louise Casey have also encouraged our service to renew its efforts against racism and discrimination.

“This historic and ongoing distrust between police and Black communities risks people not reporting to police if they are in trouble, for example, or assisting in our efforts to catch criminals, fight crime and protect entire communities.

“We are listening to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments are worded or worded and that we can and will make changes where necessary, but that should not detract from the intention to improve the quality of policing.”

Kemi Badenoch said she thought of her son while watching the “horrific” video of Henry Nowak.

She said: “I thought, this is someone’s son. This could be my son. This could be any child. He’s just a child. It’s sad. He must be absolutely terrified.”

“Dying like that really bothered me. No one should die like that. Even criminals don’t die like that. And Henry didn’t deserve it.”

Shabana Mahmood has condemned “disgraceful” scenes of violence after riot police were pelted with bottles and bricks during a protest near the Southampton home of Henry Nowak’s killer.

The Home Secretary said violence against officers was “completely unacceptable” following clashes in the St Denys area on Tuesday evening.