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.”
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed on Monday for a minimum of 21 years after a jury convicted him of the murder of the teenager, who had been walking home in Southampton after an evening with members of his student football team.
Knife-obsessed Digwa stabbed Henry five times using a 21cm blade he was allowed to carry as part of his Sikh faith. He then lied to officers at the scene, claiming that he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Bodycam footage shows officers handcuffing and arresting Nowak, a first-year student at Southampton University, as he repeatedly complained that he could not breathe and has been the victim of a stabbing. Nowak died at the scene.
Bodycam footage revealed that Mr Nowak repeatedly told police officers ‘I can’t breathe’ as he lay dying in handcuffs after being stabbed (Photo: Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary/AFP)‘Confusing and unclear’ crime scene
Following Digwa’s conviction, Robert France, deputy chief constable of Hampshire Police, emphasised that the four officers attending the scene had been confronted with a “confusing and unclear” situation following a 999 call in which the use of any weapons had been denied.
He also underlined that within three minutes of their arrival, the officers had started to administer first aid, including CPR, after the seriousness of Henry’s condition became clear.
One of the attending officers has since resigned, while three officers continue to serve with the Hampshire force.
However, police insiders have told The i Paper that the response of the officers should have been significantly changed from the moment Mr Nowak was heard to say to them “I’ve been stabbed” as he lay on gravel surrounded by a group who it would later become clear included his killer.
Two former Metropolitan Police officers, both with decades of experience of dealing with violent crime including shootings and stabbings, said an allegation of a knife attack at a crime scene had placed an obligation on officers to establish the accuracy of that claim by immediately conducting a thorough examination of the potential victim.
In the bodycam police footage, the officers can be seen responding to Mr Nowak’s comments by placing him in handcuffs behind his back while appearing to carry out only a cursory examination of his face and midriff. In response to the student’s complaint that he has been stabbed, one officer said: “I don’t think you have mate.” Mr Nowak was then cautioned and formally placed under arrest as he lapsed into unconsciousness.
The Hampshire force referred itself the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) within 24 hours of the killing. The watchdog’s investigation is continuing.
Mr Nowak was in the first year of his studies for a finance degree at Southampton University (Photo: Hampshire Police/PA)‘You can see that something isn’t right’
One of the Met officers, whose 30-year career included serving as a senior instructor on how police should ensure the safety of themselves and the public, said: “The moment those officers heard the words ‘I’ve been stabbed’, that should have informed everything about their subsequent actions at the scene.
“When someone at a potential crime scene says they have been stabbed, then there is a duty of care and investigation on those officers. That includes examining the person, removing their clothing, to identify whether or not they have been stabbed.
“From the bodycam footage we can see that is not done fully and instead Henry Nowak is cuffed. Knife wounds can be difficult to see – not every wound is going to bleed externally.”
The former officer, who also served as a Scotland Yard firearms specialist, said Mr Nowak’s condition – slumped against a wall and apparently unable to move – should also have sounded alarm bells in the minds of the Hampshire team.
He said: “If you look at the way Henry Nowak is lying on the ground you can see that something isn’t right about him, that he isn’t in a normal state. His condition warrants further investigation.
“Instead, the officers act as they do. Why they behave as they do, whether it is inexperience or naivety for example, is something that investigators will look at.”
Vickrum Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years (Photo: Hampshire Police/PA)‘The officers made assumptions’
The bodycam footage also raises questions about how Digwa’s claims at the scene that he had been the victim of the attack may have influenced the response of the attending police team, according to a second former Scotland Yard officer.
The officer, a former murder detective with 14 years’ experience, highlighted the “ABC” policing principle taught to all UK police: “Assume nothing, believe nobody and check everything.”
He said: “The footage suggests that these officers made assumptions. And one of those assumptions was that when Henry Nowak said he was stabbed they did not necessarily believe him.”
In a statement after Digwa’s sentencing, Mr Nowak’s father Mark, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, said that his son’s treatment by police had been “inhumane and degrading”. He pointed out that the killer had not been handcuffed at any time during his arrest, in stark contrast to the treatment of his son.
France, of Hampshire police, said he was “deeply sorry” that Mr Nowak had been handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness.
Mark Nowak speaking outside Southampton Crown Court. He said the treatment of his son by police had been ‘inhumane and degrading’ but blame for the killing lay entirely with Digwa (Photo: Will Heaver/PA)The former Yard detective said that Mr Nowak’s claim that he had been stabbed should have immediately escalated the nature of the incident in the minds of the officers, from relatively minor assault or disorder offences under the Public Order Act, to potentially far more serious offences such as grievous bodily harm (GBH) or attempted murder.
“In those circumstances, I would expect a number of things to happen. Firstly, there is the possibility that there is a knife on the scene, possibly concealed. For the safety of the officers and the public, that means all those involved in the incident should be considered for cuffing,” said the ex-detective.
Nowak suffered unsurvivable injury
The ex-officer also questioned why Mr Nowak had been handcuffed with his hands behind his back, potentially exacerbating his condition and further impeding any effort to lift his clothing in search of wounds.
He said: “By cuffing him behind his back, that expands the chest and potentially worsens a wound. If it was necessary to cuff him, it could have been done from the front, which would have allowed a more thorough examination.”
During Digwa’s trial at Southampton Crown Court, jurors were told Mr Nowak had in fact suffered an unsurvivable stab wound to the chest. A pathologist said there had been nothing the officers could have done to save the finance student.
Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, emphasised that its members were entitled to due process, and condemned online calls for vigilante justice against those who had attended the crime scene.
The organisation said: “The officers’ actions that night are subject to rigorous independent scrutiny and we must let that process run its course.”
Anti-racism guidance under review
The actions of the Hampshire officers have provoked criticism from some quarters, including from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, that the case was evidence of “two-tier” policing, under which white lives were being treated as less important than those of ethnic minorities, or “anti-white” bias was being shown by police.
Such claims are strongly rejected by police chiefs. However, the National Police Chiefs Council, the umbrella body for UK forces, has announced it is reviewing anti-racism guidance issued last year which suggests officers should treat ethnic minorities differently in order to achieve “equality of outcomes”.
A demonstrator confronts police near Portswood Police Station in Southampton, following a protest march over the circumstances of Henry Nowak’s death (Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP)One serving officer told The i Paper that policing still needs to address evidence that it is institutionally racist and people from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to suffer from unfair treatment.
“There’s a strong evidence base to say that policing is still institutionally racist. It’s quite right that they try to fix that. In trying to fix it, I don’t think that they have gone too far.”
But the former Met instructor said: “The problem is that whether we like it or not policing is under the microscope and every decision in this area is liable for exceptional scrutiny. So when an officer hears an allegation of racism at a crime scene, it triggers a fear or apprehension of what could happen further down the line.”
Hampshire Police declined to comment, saying the incident remained under investigation by the IOPC.
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