The family of Henry Nowak must discover why the police failed to protect him. My question to Home Secretary.
Transcript
Toby Perkins MP: Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I welcome the Home Secretary’s fierce rejection of two-tier policing or any suggestion that people should be judged differently according to their colour. The footage that we saw was one of the most sickening things that I have ever seen, and my heart goes out to the Nowak family, who had to witness that. She is absolutely right to say that we must wait for the IOPC investigation but if it does turn out that some kind of misguided application of the culture of policing has led to the victim being not believed, while the murderer was believed, what more will she be able to do to make sure that every single police officer hears loud and clear her message that everyone deserves to be policed regardless of the colour of their skin in exactly the same way?
Home Secretary: Well, let me give my hon. friend that assurance, that as soon as the IOPC investigation has concluded and they have made their findings in relation to the specific circumstances of this case, I will make sure that we return to this House so that we have an opportunity to debate collectively what the correct response will be, but let me just reassure him, and everybody else, I will never stand for a system where there is any suggestion of differential treatment. Before the law we are all equal before the law and every lesson that we learn must always live up to that abiding principle.