3 days ago
New suspect ethnicity guidance ‘may not stop spread of disinformation', policing minister admits
Disinformation could still spread around suspects' ethnicity despite new police guidance aimed at sharing more information with the public, a minister has admitted.
The interim guidance by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing comes after authorities were accused of covering up offences carried out by asylum seekers.
Police should consider disclosing the extra details about suspect s charged in particularly high-profile and sensitive investigations, the new guidance says, although decisions will remain with the investigating force.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said the government was 'very supportive' of forces being as open and transparent as possible when charging decisions are announced.
'We're now saying that should then include nationality and ethnicity, unless there's a very good reason not to do so,' she told Sky News.
However, she conceded that disinformation could still spread if ethnicity information is released.
She said: '(Disinformation) is a bigger problem for society, I think, but in terms of particular individuals, what normally happens is at charge, information is released.
That's what's happened before.'
It is hoped the change could combat the spread of misinformation on social media, after Merseyside Police was criticised for not revealing the ethnicity of Axel Rudakabana when he was arrested on suspicion of murder after he attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town last July.
Within hours of the attack, posts spread on the internet which claimed the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker who had come to the country by boat last year.
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 the next day, riots erupted across the country.
In a separate incident in May, to counter rumours that an incident involving a car ploughing into crowds during Liverpool's Premier League victory parade was a terror attack, the force promptly revealed the ethnicity and nationality of a man they had arrested, who was white and British.
Dame Diana said the government has asked the Law Commission to look into the guidance to make sure any future trial is not prejudiced by information released by police.
The guidance, which comes into immediate effect, encourages police to share nationality and ethnicity information when there is a 'policing purpose to do so'. This could include cases where there is a risk to public safety, high levels of misinformation or disinformation or in cases of significant public interest.
It also reaffirms that it is not the role or responsibility of the police to verify a suspect's immigration status.
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. Asked if information about a suspect's asylum status will be shared in new guidance, Dame Diana told BBC Breakfast: 'To date, it's not something that the Home Office comment on in terms of asylum applications that are made by individuals.'
Announcing the new guidance, the NPCC's lead for communications and media, deputy chief constable Sam de Reya, said last summer's disorder showed there are 'major, real-world consequences' from information put 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,' he added.
'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.'
Emily Spurrell of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners also welcomed the move, adding there was a 'clear need' to update the guidance for forces.
She added: '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.'
