Kemi Badenoch has said “something is not right” with policing as she responded to claims of “two-tier” treatment following the murder of Henry Nowak.
The Conservative leader said while officers do not set out to police differently, “that’s what many people are experiencing” and insisted those concerns must be taken seriously.
She said: “I have a lot of respect for the police, but it's quite clear that something is not right.
“We only need to look at that devastating body came footage that happened to Henry when an allegation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than a stabbing.”
She was referring to Hampshire police's release of body-worn footage from police officers responding to Mr Nowak's stabbing.
His killer, Vickrum Digwa, claimed that the 18-year-old had racially assaulted him.
The University student told police he had been stabbed but a police officer put him in handcuffs.
Badenoch also cited concerns over the treatment of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, as well as pro-Palestine and Jewish protesters.
She added: “I believe many of these issues come down to a lot of the guidance that’s put out, whether by the College of Policing or even by the police forces themselves. Let’s look at how we fix it. But if you don’t accept there’s a problem, then we can’t fix the problem.”
