The head of the National Black Police Association (NPBA) has warned police forces are at risk of making "not well thought-out" changes to anti-racism guidance following the murder of Henry Nowak.

Andy George, a Police Service of Northern Ireland chief inspector, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a move to re-draft an anti-racism commitment in light of the case was "reactive".

His comments came after former Home Secretary Jack Straw told the Telegraph there had been an "over-correction" within policing after the 1993 murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

He said "much greater care" was needed with police race guidance, and claimed "vocal pressure groups" had exerted too much influence.

The murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak and subsequent police response have prompted accusations of so-called two-tier policing by some.

Nowak was arrested by officers as he lay dying after his attacker, 23-year-old Sikh man Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed he had been racially abused by the student.

Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum 21-year term on Monday, while the Independent Office for Police Conduct's (IOPC) is investigating the response of officers.

There has been particular scrutiny of a National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) anti-racism commitment, which states that ensuring racial equality in policing "does not mean treating everyone 'the same' or being 'colour blind'".

The NPCC said it was reviewing the wording after opposition politicians pointed to it as evidence of unequal standards in policing.

The home secretary supports the review. Sir Keir also said on Thursday it was "right" for the NPCC to review some guidance.

Asked about changes to guidelines being proposed this week, George said: "There's definitely lessons to be learned from the Henry Nowak case and if the [police watchdog] sees through their thorough investigation that there are things that need to be done and changed โ€“ then certainly that's the time when things should be looked at.

"For us to go forward and for the policing minister to say 'that needs to be corrected or looked into right now' โ€“ for us, when we've pushed for things that impact black communities or black individuals, we've never seen policing move as quick as what they're advocating for right now.

"So, I would say it is definitely an auto-correction โ€“ it's very swift, it's quick โ€“ I don't think it's as well thought-out as it should be.

"I think it's reactive to the current swell that we're seeing in social media and across different areas of public life at the minute."

In 2024, the association George leads withdrew its support for the race action plan which included the commitment being reviewed this week, over what it said was a lack of dialogue with black officers.

George's sentiments were echoed by some serving police officers who spoke to the BBC anonymously.

One black police officer called for people to "calm down and look at the evidence" about police relations with minority communities, adding: "A calm head is needed and I'm worried wrong decisions could be made in the heat of the moment as we come through this latest story."

A South Asian police officer said he had been upset by Nowak's death, but added "we try our best to treat everyone same and I know we will always do that".

But the same officer also said anti-racism training had left some officers "on edge", adding: "Some white colleagues are nervous because they know they're being watched and judged when it's about racism."

Straw was home secretary when the Macpherson Report was published, which branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist in the wake of Stephen Lawrence's murder.

He told the Telegraph that "things were out of kilter at the time of the Macpherson report", adding: "There was no question about that but sometimes you get reactions which go too far the other way. That's obviously happened here."

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, the former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said there had not been an over-correction in policing standards, but agreed a perception of unfairness had been established for parts of the community.

She accused police forces and other public organisations of trying to "virtue signal", and said that could result in a "breakdown of impartiality and public trust and confidence".

She also called for unconscious bias training in public bodies to be scrapped because it is "proven not to work".

Speaking in the House of Lords on Wednesday, Baroness Lawrence, the mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, shared her condolences with the Nowak family.

She said: "I think what's happened with him should never have happened.

"And the police should be at fault for what happened on that night."

Earlier this week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the public should react to Nowak's death with "pure, cold rage", leading Sir Keir Starmer to accuse him of exploiting the case to create "grievance and division".

On Thursday, the prime minister accused tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has repeatedly commented on the case on social media, of "trying to whip up division".

Also on Thursday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she had met Nowak's family, who told her they "do not want anger to tear communities apart".

She continued: "What the family agreed with me on is that we need to bring common sense back, and that is what we should all be fighting for."

Sir Keir is expected to meet the Nowak family later on Thursday.

Protests following the sentencing of Nowak's killer led to violent clashes between police and protesters on Tuesday near the site of Nowak's stabbing.

Eleven police officers were injured and two people have been charged with criminal offences.

After the sentencing of his son's killer, Nowak's father Mark said it was "unbearable" to see how his son had been treated by police in his final moments, but added: "We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension."

Alexis Boon, chief constable of Hampshire Police, apologised to Nowak's family on Wednesday.

The student was 18 when he was stabbed by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa in Southampton in December 2025.

Chief Constable Alexis Boon tells the BBC the footage of how the murder victim had been treated was distressing.

Police face accusations of two-tier policing as they work to stamp out racial bias, our senior UK correspondent writes.

Acting Chief Constable Scott Green makes his remarks in the wake of the murder of Henry Nowak.

They will finish night shifts in Staffordshire an hour earlier under the new shift patterns.