What is two-tier policing and does it exist? UK riots questions answered

The phrase is being used to describe the impression that some protests and demonstrations are dealt with more harshly than others.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is one of the men to make the accusation, as is Elon Musk, the world's richest man and the owner of the social media platform X.

But where does the phrase ‘two-tier policing’ come from, what does it mean and is it true?

Where did the claims originate?

Those making the claims point to policing of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in 2020, as well as the organised grooming gangs in Rochdale in the 2020s.

While the Rochdale abuse was missed by police, it led to major reforms. The BLM protests were also different in that the vast majority were peaceful, with just 135 arrests made across around 200 protests.

There have also been comparisons with the Gaza protests, which again were predominantly peaceful. There were arrests made following pockets of disorder, but this was an outlier, not a feature.

Who has been saying it?

The idea has been propagated by a series of figures on the right, not least by the English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who has been organising the riots from a hotel in Cyprus.

The phrase has also been repeated by former actor Laurence Fox, who built up a large following as a presenter on GB News before being sacked.

The most vocal user of the term is Mr Musk, who dubbed the Prime Minister “two-tier Keir” to his 193.1 million followers on X.

In politics, Mr Farage has suggested the BLM protests had “soft policing”, giving “the impression two-pier policing has become widespread”. He added: “Most of us think that ethnic minority groups are policed entirely differently to that of white British people".

Who disagrees?

Everyone involved in the police or government, and many opposition figures.

West Midlands Police Superintendent Emlyn Richards insisted two-tier policing "doesn't exist" within the force, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a "non-issue".

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 run-around to get publicity, this is about trying to frighten communities, damage property and attack police officers.”

Former chief inspector of constabulary Sir Thomas Winsor, whose role saw him oversee the efficiency of police services in England and Wales between 2012 and 2022, also disagreed.

He said: “It doesn’t exist – policing is even handed. If people are committing offences, and individual cases have to be dealt with on their individual merits, then they’ll be stopped and they may be charged and prosecuted.”

Is it true?

No, the protests people are seeking to compare these riots to were mainly peaceful, and those who weren’t were arrested.

The riots of the past week, originally sparked by misinformation in relation to the identify of the alleged Southport stabbing attacker, have seen death threats on social media, hotels housing asylum seekers smashed and set on fire, as well as clashes with police. Previous protests were also organised in liaison with the police. These riots were not.