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Today in Focus

How the myth of ‘two-tier policing’ took hold

Today in Focus

The Guardian

News, Daily News

4.65.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The far-right conspiracy theory is heard everywhere from pubs to parliament and riots to talk radio. Hugh Muir and Joe Mulhall explain why. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:07.7

Today, the myth of two-tier policing.

0:18.3

This week, one phrase, once only heard on the fringes of the far right, has been everywhere.

0:25.9

That's two-tier policing.

0:27.4

Two-tier policing.

0:28.5

A two-tier policing system.

0:30.4

You must be blind in this country if you do not think that there is any form of two-tier policing.

0:36.7

It's been parroted in Parliament by Nigel Farage,

0:40.6

on social media by Elon Musk,

0:42.9

and on the ground by far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson,

0:46.6

as violent anti-police protests erupted around them in Southampton.

0:57.1

It's come after the tragedy of the death of 18-year-old Henry Novak,

1:01.9

who was stabbed by Vikram Digwa and then arrested as he lay dying.

1:07.2

Terrible mistakes were made by the police.

1:09.5

Henry did not die with dignity.

1:11.6

He did not die with the care he deserved.

1:14.6

He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.

1:18.6

To his family, Henry's death is a warning about the dangers of knife crime.

1:23.6

Yet, since Digwa's conviction, their son's death has been shaped into something very different,

1:30.1

with claims that it is proof, because Henry was white and his assailant Asian, that white

1:36.4

people are treated unfairly and discriminated against by the police. The government has now

1:43.0

rushed to push back with Kirstama meeting with Henry's family.

...

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