Summary
Hampshire Police says 11 officers and a police dog were injured during protests in Southampton last night over the police handling of Henry Nowak’s murder
Two people were arrested and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has condemned the violence – here’s the latest
Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls the scenes “disgraceful”, telling MPs “now is the time for serious work, not rage”
Nowak, an 18-year-old student, was stabbed to death in December, and was arrested and handcuffed as he lay dying on the ground
His killer, Vickrum Digwa, had claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack – the policing minister now says anti-racism guidance should change
The Police Anti-Racism Commitment, which is being reviewed by police chiefs, aims to ensure “equality of policing outcomes” and says not everyone should be treated “the same”
Memorial for Nowak placed outside local police station
Nick Johnson
Reporting from Southampton
A shrine to Henry Nowak has been placed outside a local police station, only a few moments’ walk from the epicentre of last night’s disorder.
Some of the placards bearing Henry’s picture also carry a logo of the group Remigration Now
Remigration Now is a group that calls for remigration, which is widely understood to mean the mass “return” or deportation of people with a migrant background.
What do we know about the officers who arrived at the scene of stabbing?
Nikki Mitchell
Home Affairs correspondent, BBC South
We believe the officers arrived at the scene of the stabbing in pairs – so two arrived first, then two more soon after.
When the Nowak family read their statement out on the court steps after Digwa was handed a life sentence, they said they believed the officers involved remain on duty, although one resigned and was allowed to leave before giving an account to the police watchdog.
Hampshire Police has confirmed that three of the officers are still serving and one officer has resigned – that was at the end of last year and not as a result of this incident.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating officers’ actions and we understand that initial accounts of the incident were given by all the officers there.
More detailed accounts have also been given by all, except the officer who left.
We also know that one serving officer who was not at the scene of the stabbing of Henry Nowak has been wrongly identified online, received death threats and has had to relocate to protect himself and his family.
In the Commons yesterday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned what she called a “dangerous undercurrent” of people making threats towards officers – making “a dreadful situation worse”.
Officer resignation not related to Nowak killing, Hampshire Police says
Yesterday, Hampshire Police confirmed the resignation of one of the officers involved in the Henry Nowak case.
Now the force has clarified that the officer who resigned from the force left at the end of last year, and not as a result of the incident. Three officers involved in the case are still serving.
As we’ve been reporting, the police watchdog – the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) – is investigating the constabulary’s handling of the murder, which remains ongoing.
The IOPC has said the officers called to the murder scene are being treated as witnesses, but that this will be kept under review.
