The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have announced they are investigating two officers who attended the scene of Henry Nowak’s death. This does not necessarily mean they will face disciplinary proceedings, merely that such proceedings are now possible. This was probably the only course of action open to the IOPC, particularly after last week’s release of a transcript and more video footage of the incident, seemingly with the consent of the Nowak family. They paint both the police and the Digwas in an even more damning light.
The video shows Vickrum Digwa being questioned by police while Henry lay dying on the ground nearby. Henry was manhandled by police and cuffed behind his back. When he said he’d been stabbed, the officer replied ‘I don’t think you have mate’. By contrast, Vickrum Digwa was politely questioned by an officer. During that questioning Digwa lied that he had been the victim of a racist attack by Henry, and claimed that his brother was a witness to the assault. Even when being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Digwa was not handcuffed by police. The difference in their treatment, the two-tier policing driven by anti-racist doctrine, could not be clearer.
