How have the ‘Two-Tier Policing’ Claims spread across the UK?

Amid escalating far-right violence across the UK, one term has stood out – two-tier policing.

Instigators and apologists for the rioting have claimed that they are the victims of a “two-tier policing” system that treats them more harshly because of their race and political views.

This is an idea propagated by Tommy Robinson as well as Laurence Fox in the past few days.

On August 5, 2024, Nigel Farage claimed that “ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread”.

Yvette Cooper, Sir Keir Starmer, Priti Patel and Met Police chief Mark Rowley were all asked about the claim.

Cooper, Starmer and Patel all rejected the claim. Rowley said nothing but grabbed the reporter’s microphone.

Where did the Claim Originate?

People point to the policing failures that allowed organised grooming gangs, mainly Asian, to operate in Rochdale in the 2000s.

They also claim the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests were treated lightly.

The Rochdale abuse was ignored by police.

But the argument that it is a factor in policing today ignores major reforms to the way child sexual exploitation is treated in the region.

This includes the addition of a specialist unit in Greater Manchester Police and every Ofsted inspection since 2014.

It found that Rochdale now responds to reported cases effectively.

The BLM protests are different to the ongoing UK riots. This is because the disorder in the BLM protests was a relatively small factor.

After the 2011 London riots, draconian sentences were handed down.

Graham Wettone, who spent 30 years in frontline public order roles with the Met, said:

“There was actually plenty of criticism of the BLM policing for being heavy-handed.”

“The Met used an advance of the mounted branch, one of their most impactful tactics, which I’ve only seen deployed a couple of times in my whole career, and not at any of the incidents in the last week.”

How have the Claims Spread?

Two-tier policing claims had gained traction even before the ongoing riots.

Claims about policing have been in the foreground since the pro-Palestine protests in the UK.

In March 2024, Robert Jenrick claimed two-tier policing had governed the police’s handling of those protests.

Meanwhile, far-right people have claimed that the treatment of recent unrest in Harehills, Leeds, after children from a Roma family were taken into care, revealed that the police were unwilling to act when the agitators were from a minority background.

And videos on social media in recent days of what are claimed to be “Asian gangs” attacking white “protesters” with impunity.

However, these claims do not stand up to scrutiny either.

The evidence of those who attended and monitored the Gaza protests suggests that while there were small disorders, the majority who attended did so peacefully.

Wettone said: “There were arrests, and police identifying offences that have led to prosecutions.

“But those who stayed within the law and were respectful were rightly allowed to protest.”

However, the incident in Harehills was very different.

Wettone continued: “It started out looking like a standard call that many officers will go to, an incident at an address with social services trying to remove children.

“And then it blew up with officers coming under attack. And because of how quickly it escalated, withdrawal is the best tactic.”

Some videos of “Asian gangs” do appear to be legitimate recordings from the past few days.

In Bolton, there was a confrontation between the far right and a group of Asian men.

However, the scale of these incidents is minor in comparison with the far-right activity across the UK and does not justify claims of equal clashes between the two sides.

Wettone added: “Clearly there have been some incidents. But it doesn’t seem to be pre-planned in the same way.”

How has the Violence been Policed?

The persistent violence elevates it to a distinct category compared to other policing operations.

Additionally, the initial protests, which eventually escalated into riots, were not coordinated with the police.

Chief Constable BJ Harrington, the national lead for public order policing, said:

“We have not seen this level of violence or planned intent of violence from other large marches.

This is not about being frustrated or wanting to give the police the runaround to get publicity, this is about trying to frighten communities, damage property and attack police officers.”

Wettone stated that a different approach is warranted, adding:

“It isn’t about numbers. It’s about the risk and the threat that people pose.”