The Guardian view on singling out the ethnicity of suspects: fuelling the fire, not dousing the flames
The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has welcomed new police guidelines encouraging forces to release the ethnicity and migration status of those charged in high-profile cases. She had already indicated that she believed the guidance needed to change and urged the Law Commission to accelerate its review around what information can be released ahead of trials. The idea is that the shift will help to prevent a repeat of the riots that swept parts of England a year ago after lies spread that the murderer of three schoolgirls in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker. Police rebutted the claims relatively quickly, albeit not as fast as some hoped. The truth did not stop the unrest.
No one doubts that there is a problem; the question is whether this is the right solution. As Southport and other cases show, the police already had the power to release information to dispel lies. Police will increasingly be badgered for the information if they do not share it, and Diana Johnson, the policing minister, has said that the government will want the details released in 'most cases': the hope is that the guidance turns an exceptional decision into a routine one.
The need for transparency, especially important in an era when faith in authority is battered for reasons good and bad, must be weighed against investigative needs and the demands of a fair trial. The bare-bones information initially revealed of a suspect's identity is supplemented over the criminal process. The police, never the most transparent institution, have often tilted too far towards caution on sharing information after the Leveson inquiry into the press. But – even putting aside the question of whether the police are ideally placed to handle sensitive matters of ethnicity given their own record – one would have to be remarkably naive to see those now demanding more information on the origins of suspects as champions of the truth. They are not seeking enlightenment: they want confirmation of their prejudices and assistance in spreading them.
Singling out one particular aspect of a suspect's identity does not merely give credence to but cements the belief that race or migration status are central to criminality – when, as the grandfather of one Southport victim, Bebe King, observed: 'Mental health issues, and the propensity to commit crime, happens in any ethnicity, nationality or race.' Poor educational attainment is correlated with criminal convictions. But no one is demanding the release of suspects' school records.
The Leveson report also pointed to the evidence of 'discriminatory, sensational or unbalanced reporting in relation to ethnic minorities, immigrants and/or asylum seekers'. Rightwing media, and far-right agitators, will emblazon offences ascribed to asylum seekers or members of the South Asian diaspora across websites and social media platforms, while ignoring the ethnicity of the perpetrator when white Britons are responsible.
The government either wants to close down a line of political attack, or more generously, douse the fires set by those promoting division and hatred. But disclosing ethnicity is more likely to fuel them by legitimising and further embedding the far right's poisonous worldview.
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The clip starts by staff greeting the potential thief at the door, smiling, waving and saying hello. They then approach them as they shop, asking if they need any help as they pick up and put down various items. The Durham-based shop also showed off their rotating hooks which they say stops 'pesky thieves' and the security tags and plastic packaging on their beauty products which are difficult to remove. The high street chain has also instituted a rule of only three of each item, making it harder for shoplifters to grab a shelfful of expensive products and make a dash. The clip then shows the member of staff approaching the pretend thief and offering them a basket so it's easier to keep an eye on what they have taken. In another snippet, the fake shoplifter tried to open up luxury products but is fooled by an empty box, with the store advising other locations to use 'dummy boxes' provided by the beauty companies and to security tag the actual items. The video ended by a member of staff telling the would-be thief to 'stop' and 'think', resulting in the customer going through their pockets and bag and handing over an item they had attempted to steal. A store in Nottingham has also taken matters into their hands and installed CCTV to catch out shoplifters. A guard, watching live footage, issues announcements over the tannoy system telling thiefs they've been spotted and to return any stolen items meaning that stock is kept safe and instances of confrontation are avoided. The efforts of shopkeepers up and down the UK come after the total thefts reached 530,643 in the year to March, at an estimated cost of £1.8bn to retailers. Last year, Lancashire Police launched Operation Vulture, which encouraged businesses to use 'customer greeters' to cut down on crime. An online guide called How to Deter a Shoplifter, the force advised: 'By greeting genuine shoppers, not only does this provide a positive impression of your store, it also deters potential shoplifters. 'An offender is less likely to shoplift if they sense that they are to be seen and noticed by staff.' But the advice was criticised by another policing chief has seemingly admitted that there is little deterrent for shoplifters because they are so often freed by courts to steal again. Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: 'People have got to know that they're going to get caught and that there's a meaningful deterrent when they do it. There is no point arresting shoplifters if there is no effective deterrent.' Insisting that it is 'madness' that the thieves blighting Britain's retailers are often not being put behind bars, Ms Bourne told The Telegraph: 'People have got to know that they're going to get caught, and that there's a meaningful deterrent when they do. 'There is no point arresting shoplifters if there is no effective deterrent.'
