PCC to commission independent review into police response to murder of Henry Nowak

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to conduct an urgent inspection into the matters arising from the murder of Henry Nowak on 3 December 2025 in Southampton.

The Commissioner has requested the Inspectorate examine the culture and performance of the control room and its ability to communicate critical threat information to officers on the ground.

The PCC has also said the Inspectorate should examine the training provided to frontline officers responding to knife crime incidents, including the application of immediate first aid, and the physiological presentation of serious internal bleeding.

The adequacy and regularity of that training will also be reviewed, and how officers are trained to triage competing accounts at the scene of a violent incident. Specifically, whether the provision of immediate medical assistance is treated as an unconditional duty that operates independently of any assessment of culpability.

PCC Donna Jones said: “It is a matter of the gravest concern that officers arrived at the scene of a fatal stabbing without adequate information about what they were walking into.

“Henry died on a street in Southampton, handcuffed, having told police officers on multiple occasions that he had been stabbed and that he could not breathe.

“He was not believed. He was not treated as a victim. Those words should have triggered an immediate and urgent medical response. Understanding why and ensuring it never happens again is a matter of the most serious national importance.

“For that reason I am formally commissioning this inspection under my powers as PCC according to the Police Act 1996.

“The review will not interfere with ongoing IOPC investigation, and I expect it to be conducted quickly and thoroughly.

“Henry’s family deserve answers and the public deserves reassurance that the police are trained to serve without fear or favour.”