We want to ‘give as much information as possible' on suspects
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said police are 'always striving to be transparent', but are governed by rules.
Speaking on LBC, Mr Guildford said he would have taken the same action as his colleague from Warwickshire Police, amid an alleged 'cover-up' of details about two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, who were charged over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that he 'absolutely' believes that information about charged suspects' immigration status should be made available by police.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for more transparency from police about suspects, and said it was an 'operational decision' for forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over what information to release.
During the phone-in, when asked about the Home Secretary's comments, Mr Guildford said: 'We're always striving to be transparent in everything that we do, but we're governed by rules. Rules are often set by Parliament, they're set by the CPS, the courts.
'We have to be really careful that we do follow the rules, so we don't just make rules up as we go along. I spoke to my colleague next door in Warwickshire, he's followed the rules. He's done the right thing.
'At the moment, the rules are under review, and they're under review by the CPS, the National Police Chiefs' Council and, also, there's a Law Commission review ongoing.
'And I think what we need to do is wait and see what comes out of there, and then act accordingly and act properly.
'But in terms of the broadest theme of transparency, absolutely, we produce loads of data, and of course we want to give as much information as possible, but we have to operate within the bounds of the rules of the law.'
Asked if he would take the same action as his colleague in Warwickshire over the alleged rape case, Mr Guildford said: 'Yes, that's right.'
He said: 'I think the problem with providing more information is you've got to be so careful with the protocol that we've got and the guidance that we've got, which comes actually from a few years ago, sort of post-Leveson, post-Jimmy Savile, post some of the issues around the Cliff Richard inquiry, and we need to make sure that we follow the rules.
'And if we don't, we don't want to come on the wrong side of the argument or prejudice any live proceedings. And that is really key. Can't underline that enough.'
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