Police force accused of anti-white racism after officers five times more likely to stop and search black people than white people in response to Henry Nwankwo's murder. Hampshire force experiencing more racial inequality than England and Wales average and getting worse in recent years. Hampshire police accused of racial bias after 18-year-old Nwankwo shot by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely told officers he was being racially abused. Digwa stabbed Nwankwo multiple times but officers on scene treated student suspect on the ground as Vickrum Digwa handcuffed him and arrested him despite telling officers he had been stabbed and couldn't breathe. For the most recent year of available data, Hampshire officers were 5.1 times more likely to stop a black person than a white person. The England and Wales average disparity was 3.8 times. Stop and search is a controversial power as most do not result in the discovery of crime. The fact officers are more likely to use this power against a black person raises accusations of racial bias. South-East England forces officers conducted 15,000 stops in 2025-26, with 60% resulting in no further action or advice. The force claimed 6,000 of its stops resulted in a "positive outcome" but did not explain what this meant. Racial inequality has increased in Hampshire, with black people 4.8 times more likely to be stopped than white people in 2024-5, compared with 4.1 times in 2023-4. The force has also increased its use of stop and search, from 12,000 two years ago. In 2021-22, Hampshire black people were almost eight times more likely to be stopped than white people. Police nationally claim stop and search is a vital tool in the fight against crime but have pledged to reduce racial inequality. Hampshire police declined to comment. The force is also 96.4% white, compared with 90.6% of the area it serves. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch compares Hampshire police's failure in Nwankwo case to Stephen Lawrence murder police failures in 1993 by racist gang that remained free due to police errors and institutional racism. Duwayne Brooks, a friend of Lawrence who was with him when he was attacked, said Nwankwo's treatment was due to lazy policing, not anti-white racism. Brooks told the Guardian that the wider public is now aware of the under-policing practices that black people, women and disabled people have experienced for years and are now experiencing by white people. The 52-year-old told the Guardian: "We've always received lazy policing. Now it's more widespread and more people have experienced it and the boy lost his life. "The police have a blasé attitude. I haven't seen or heard any evidence of anti-white policing bias. The victim is white, the police officers are white and it's a predominantly white police force." The Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank and file, has suspended social media platforms for its members due to "serious threats". It said: "We've suddenly had an influx of online trolls and AI going through all platforms to find any information they could about our members, with threats to life. "This is unacceptable. Our members' safety and security is our first priority. Misidentified officers have left their homes and there have been serious threats to life." The Guardian has also learned that two former chief constables of Hampshire police are the last two candidates for a top post in policing. Whistleblower sources confirmed that the two former chief constables of Hampshire police who were being interviewed for the role of Her Majesty's chief inspector were Andrew Marhs, who led Hampshire from 2013 to 2016, and his successor, Olivia Pink, who led the force until 2023. Marhs leads the Police College, while Pink is likely to become the government's chief policing adviser and inspectorate leader, who consulted Labour in opposition. The Nwankwo case is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which will meet with the 18-year-old victim's family this month to update them on the investigation. The IOPC is reviewing officers on scene as witnesses, including those who handcuffed Nwankwo and did not believe he had been stabbed, for at least two minutes after he told them. The IOPC investigation has not found any indication of disciplinary or criminal misconduct, but says this is under continued review. The alleged police failures are also being examined during the inquest into Nwankwo's death, which is due to be heard by a jury next year, as ordered by a judge on Thursday.