One in three Britons now believe police treat ethnic minorities more favourably than white people — a proportion that has doubled in two years — in the most damning evidence yet of the impact Henry Nowak’s murder has had on public trust in the criminal justice system.
A survey of 2,087 people conducted by More In Common, reported by GB News, found that 34 per cent of respondents believed ethnic minorities received preferential treatment from police, compared with just 21 per cent who thought white people were treated more favourably. The doubling of the two-tier policing figure in two years represents a seismic shift in public perception, driven in large part by the furore over the police response to Henry Nowak’s death.
Nowak, 18, was stabbed to death in Southampton in December 2025 by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely told responding officers he had been the victim of a racist attack. Officers handcuffed the dying teenager and ignored his pleas as he lay bleeding, before realising the true situation. Digwa was subsequently convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years. The case has since convulsed British politics, triggering mass protests, a police apology and an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Despite the scale of public anger, the poll shows most Britons are not willing to endorse the disorder that has followed. More than two-thirds — 68 per cent — said demonstrators did not speak for them, and nine in ten said violence toward police, such as throwing bricks at officers, was unjustified.
Politicians were rated very differently in their handling of the case. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who called for an end to “two-tier policing” and said “we need to bring common sense back” to equality under the law, attracted approval from 30 per cent of respondents, with only 14 per cent feeling she had responded poorly. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage — who told the public to feel “pure, cold rage” in response to the stabbing — was judged to have responded badly by 36 per cent of respondents. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who met the Nowak family and said the Government would do everything to prevent other families “from suffering such a devastating loss,” received mixed reviews, with respondents split on his handling of the case.
Luke Tryl, UK director of More In Common, said the two-tier policing narrative had now moved well beyond online discourse into mainstream public consciousness. “While still a minority, a third of Britons now believe the police treat people from ethnic minority backgrounds more favourably. Yet while most Britons are horrified by the Nowak case and want it to be taken seriously, they are also concerned about division and disorder. Two-thirds say the Southampton demonstrators do not speak for them, and while most support peaceful protest, they have little tolerance for disorder or disruption.” He said Badenoch appeared to have “struck the right note” compared with both Farage and Starmer.
The poll also revealed overwhelming public sentiment on one of the most contested legal questions raised by the case. Digwa had been carrying a kirpan — a ceremonial blade Sikhs are legally permitted to carry in public — when he committed the murder. A full 91 per cent of respondents said the legal exemption allowing Sikhs to carry the weapon in public should be removed or significantly tightened.
Reform UK has launched an online “Two-Tier Britain Reporting Form” calling on former or serving members of the emergency services to submit evidence to expose “just how rotten our institutions have become.”
