Police told to reveal ethnicity of suspects under interim guidance

Independent

2 days ago

Police forces have been told to share suspects' ethnicity and nationality with the public after authorities were accused of covering up offences carried out by asylum seekers.
The interim guidance by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, which comes after mounting pressure on police over the details they make public, said forces should consider disclosing the extra details about suspects charged in particularly high-profile and sensitive investigations.
But decisions on whether to release such information will remain with the forces themselves, the NPCC said.
It is hoped the change could combat misinformation spread on social media, after Merseyside Police was criticised for not revealing more about Axel Rudakubana when he was arrested on suspicion of murder after attacking a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July.
Within hours of the attack, posts spread on the internet claiming the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker who had come to the country by boat in 2024.
In the first press conference after the event, at 6.30pm that day, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told journalists the suspect was originally from Cardiff.
But the police statement did little to quell the misinformation spreading online, and riots began across the country the next day.
In a separate incident, to suppress rumours that a car that had ploughed into a crowd of people during Liverpool's Premier League victory parade in May was a terror attack, the force promptly revealed the ethnicity and nationality of a man they had arrested, who was white and British.
Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, said: 'We saw during last summer's disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain.
'We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels.
'Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest.'
There is nothing that bars police from sharing information about the nationality, asylum status or ethnicity of someone who has been charged with an offence in the College of Policing's existing guidance on media relations.
Earlier this month, Warwickshire police and crime commissioner Philip Seccombe pressed the Home Secretary for an urgent update on the issue after the charging of two men – reported to be Afghan asylum seekers – prompted accusations that the force withheld information about their immigration status.
The force denied a 'cover-up' after being criticised by Reform UK.
The new guidance, which comes into force immediately, was welcomed by police and crime commissioners.
Emily Spurrell of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said: 'I am pleased the NPCC and College of Policing have recognised the need to update guidance for forces in the light of recent high-profile cases.
'PCCs and Deputy Mayors act on behalf of the public and it is clear there was a need to review the guidance to address growing public concern.
'We have seen the speed with which mis- or disinformation can spread online and the danger to public safety that can cause, so it is right police keep the public informed as far as is possible whilst preserving a suspect's right to a fair trial.'