One in three Britons believe police treat ethnic minorities more favourably than white people as fears grow of two-tier policing

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By GETHIN HICKS, REPORTER

Published: 07:00 BST, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 14:46 BST, 10 June 2026

More than one in three Britons believe police treat ethnic minorities more favourably than white people, new polling suggests.

The More in Common survey of 2,087 people found that 34 per cent of respondents believed ethnic minorities received preferential treatment - a proportion which has doubled in the last two years.

Meanwhile, 21 per cent of participants said white people were treated favourably.

The figures come amid a national outcry over the notion of two-tier policing, sparked by video footage of Henry Nowak's final moments.

The clip showed the teenager desperately telling officers four times 'I've been stabbed' after he was knifed by Vickrum Digwa, to which one policeman replied: 'I don't think you have mate.'

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Southampton last week in response to the video, with images showing demonstrators violently clashing with riot officers.

But it was found that 68 per cent of Britons did not think that the protesters spoke for them. That's in contrast to the 57 per cent of Reform UK voters who supported the demonstration.

Nine in 10 respondents said that violence towards police, such as throwing bricks at officers, was unjustified.

More than one in three Britons believe ethnic minorities are treated more favourably than white people by police, a new survey suggests (protestors are pictured clashing with riot officers in Southampton)

But half of those surveyed also thought that Reform leader Nigel Farage used the murder of Henry Nowak for his own political gain

And the poll also found scepticism about how political leaders responded to the case.

Sir Keir Starmer said the footage of Sikh knifeman Digwa, 23, standing over Mr Nowak made him 'feel sick' before warning that officers have 'serious questions' to answer over their treatment of the victim.

He added that it is 'absolutely right' that a police watchdog investigate how the case was handled.

Meanwhile Reform leader Nigel Farage said the public should feel 'pure, cold rage' over the incident. He claimed that Mr Nowak was 'treated in a way that meant an accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder'.

But half of those surveyed thought that Farage was using the case for his own political gain, and 36 per cent said he responded badly.

The subjects of the survey were most positive about Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, with 30 per cent approving of her response and 14 per cent arguing she responded badly.

Mrs Badenoch said there should be 'no two-tier policing' and that 'we need to bring common sense back' to how equality is treated under the law.

People were split over Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's response.

Of the findings, UK director of More in Common, Luke Tryl said: '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.

'In this, there's a challenge for Nigel Farage.

'His supporters want a strong response to any notion of two-tier policing, but the majority of Britons, including many of those who might consider Reform, reject anything that looks like incitement to violence.'

Mr Tryl added: 'It is Kemi Badenoch who appears to have struck the right note: she is more likely than either Starmer or Farage to be seen by the public as having handled this case well.'

Meanwhile, 91 per cent of people wanted the current legal exemption allowing Sikhs to carry the kirpan ceremonial knife in public removed or tightened.

Digwa, described as 'knife-obsessed', was last week handed a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years for the murder of Mr Nowak.

The student had been returning from a University night out on the night he died.