Police told they can reveal suspects' ethnicity in high-profile cases

After being under mounting pressure over the information they make public, investigators have been encouraged to consider disclosing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects charged in high-profile cases. The National Police Chiefs' Council's interim report (NPCC)'s temporary policy aims to minimize the danger to public safety in areas where there are a lot of misinformation regarding an incident. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the report as a step forward, adding that the government and the public want "more transparency. It comes after authorities were accused of concealing the identities of two men, who were suspected of being Afghan asylum seekers, who have been charged with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old boy in Warwickshire.

The college of Policing's professional role for media relations is included in the report, which goes into place as part of a larger study of the College of Police's curricular activity for media liaisons Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Home Office in response to public worries, the initiative was launched to ensure that police procedures were

fit for purpose in an age of rapid information dissemination. The NPCC said that decisions on releasing such information will continue with police forces, with greater administrative and ethical considerations taking into account. It's up to the Home Office, not the police, to determine a suspect's immigration status. The public, as well as police forces themselves, need

better information on when, why, and how data is released,

according to a Home Office spokesperson, who praises the new policy. In future cases

where it is appropriate to do so,the Home Office will authorize the release ofrelevant supporting immigration data

in future cases. Last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that there should be

more transparency in casesregarding the background of suspects. Inmost cases,

police Minister Dame Diana Johnson said the government will require police to release these information. She said on BBC Radio 4's Today show that deciding whether to reveal more information would be a matter for the police and the CPS, but that

we want them to be as transparent as possible. She said that the disclosure of any information would not prejudice a fair trial. The government has requested that the Law Commission investigate how more information about criminals can be released without impacting criminal trials.

As it stands, there is nothing in the College of Policing's policy that does not authorize police from disclosing details regarding the nationality, citizenship, or even ethnicity of someone who has been charged. However, there is nothing that specifically mentions that it should be given or not, which is why the police force's reports were largely published in the media. Hence, the very different steps taken in recent cases. Merseyside Police were quick to announce that the man arrested was white and British in order to discredit rumors of a terrorist attack in the public interest in May. Conversely, the force's decision not to announce information about Axel Rudakubana, the man who was sentenced to death for murdering Alice Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, all died in Southport last summer. That misinformation was deemed at least partially responsible for the riots in England and Northern Ireland between 30 July and August 2024. Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, the NPCC's lead for communications and media, referred to the riots as the true consequences of the police release of the information into the public domain.

We need to make sure our processes are appropriate in this period of social media speculative skepticism, and where news can travel quickly across a number of channels,

she said.

Reform UK accused Warwickshire police of a cover-up after it did not reveal their immigration status in the high-profile case of alleged rape of a 12-year-old boy in Nuneaton. The police said it had simply followed the official instructions issued to officers, but it did not include information about suspects' ethnicity or immigration status. Following the prime minister's spokesperson, the police and courts were operationally independent, but the aim was to be as transparent as possible. Misinformation has been used in recent months to summon up strong opinions from people from both political parties, in some cases being taken as fact and contributing to violence and chaos. It is hoped that the new updated guidance to reveal information when it is necessary would prevent this from happening. However, some police officers fear that doing so would force them to reveal the ethnicity and nationality of suspects, which could add to feelings and possibly danger. In cases where the information is not released, former Met Police Chief Supt Dal Babu warned of the unintended consequences of the new advice, which he said could lead to more internet speculation.

The danger is that there will be a compulsion for police to announce details on every single occasion,

he told BBC Radio 4's Today show. "I have a lot of sympathy for my former police colleagues because if they do something, they're in a hellaws if it does, and damned if not.