The fear of being accused of racism hangs over many officers and can impact their judgement when arriving at the scene of a crime, police insiders have warned following the death of Henry Nowak.
Officers dealing with the knife attack on the 18-year-old student should have revised their approach and fully searched him for injuries from the moment he told them “I’ve been stabbed”, they said.
Two former Scotland Yard personnel, including an instructor in dealing with crime scenes, said bodycam footage showed the four Hampshire Police officers who arrived at the aftermath of the assault had failed in their “duty of care and investigation” by not thoroughly examining Mr Nowak and immediately treating the incident as a potential life-threatening crime.
The former Met instructor suggested there were grounds for concern that inexperience may have been an issue and that efforts to tackle racial prejudice in policing had resulted in officers feeling “apprehension” when an allegation of racism is made at a crime scene.
“It is potentially going to change their judgement or actions.”
