‘Woke mind virus’ sparks fury as former cop accuses Met Police of new low | UK | News
A whistleblower says the Met has been taken over by ‘awakened mind virus’ (Image: Getty)
A former police officer claims Scotland Yard has been fascinated by the “woke mind virus” which means the police no longer treat everyone equally under the law. Policing across the country has come under scrutiny following the case of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying on the ground because his killer had made a false claim of racism.
Knife-obsessed Vickrum Digwa, 23, was this week jailed for life for Henry’s murder, but officers’ shocking treatment of Henry sparked a national outcry against so-called “two-tier” policing, where forces prioritize race-based responses rather than treating everyone equally.
Rick Prior, the former chief executive of the Metropolitan Police Federation, has claimed the Met, the country’s largest police force, is being overshadowed by Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) edicts which he says are affecting policing on London’s streets.
Met with Police Commissioner Mark Rowley (Image: Getty)
Mr Prior, a former firearms police officer, wrote a foreword to a Free Speech Union (FSU) report on the Nowak case.
The Telegraph reported He wrote: “For over a decade it has been clear to me that the Met pursues equality of outcome between ethnic groups rather than equality of opportunity and equal treatment under the law.
“I have seen this in the forced rotation of skilled firearms officers to create ‘confusion’ and diversify armed policing, at great cost in lost skills.
Mr Prior said the national Police Anti-Racism Pledge, published in March last year, was “the smoking gun of two-tiered policing”, adding that it “makes clear that the aim of producing equality in policing outcomes does not mean treating everyone the same” or being “colour blind”.
Vickrum Digwa fatally stabbed Henry Nowak but police handcuffed his victim (Image: PA)
Mr Prior, who served at the Met for 29 years, was elected to represent 30,000 ranking officers as Met Federation president in 2024. However, it warned that its members were becoming increasingly wary of dealings with ethnic minorities due to false allegations of racism. Mr Prior was suspended and subsequently dismissed.
He noted: “It seems the Met’s senior management ‘mind virus’ has awakened and its resistance to change has become insurmountable.”
The High Court later ruled that his treatment was unlawful and his right to freedom of expression had been violated under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Telegraph reported.
Conservative MP Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, told the Telegraph: “This is testament to what a two-tiered exercise it is. It is divisive and dangerous. Equality before the law is fundamental and must be maintained. We must ban police forces from treating different ethnic groups differently.”
A spokesman for the Met said: “As the public expects, we police London without fear or favor and strive to serve all communities equally.
“As society and politics become more polarized, it is vital that the police force remains impartial and that all operational decisions are based on legal principles.”
