UK police instructed to release suspect ethnicity in high-profile cases

Police forces in England have been instructed to share the ethnicity and nationality of suspects, following accusations that authorities were covering up crimes committed by asylum seekers.

Interim guidance published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing stated that police forces should consider disclosing additional details about suspects accused in particularly “high-profile and sensitive” investigations.

Typically, when a suspect is arrested, police forces in England and Wales only disclose the person’s age and the location of the arrest.

This decision was made after two men were charged in Warwickshire last month for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.

Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged with rape earlier this month, while Mohammad Kabir, also 23, appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and strangulation.

George Finch, the 19-year-old Reform UK leader on Warwickshire County Council, claimed the two accused men were asylum seekers from Afghanistan, prompting Nigel Farage to say the crime was being covered up.

Warwickshire Police previously responded by saying it “does not and will not cover up such crimes” but confirmed it would “not disclose the immigration status” of the suspects.

The issue of disclosing suspects’ ethnicity also played a role in the riots that occurred last summer. Following the Southport murders, Merseyside Police faced heavy criticism for not providing information about the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana. Misinformation had spread regarding the murder, including false claims that Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker.

It is hoped that the guidance change, which takes effect immediately, will prevent the spread of misinformation on social media.

Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, the NPCC’s lead for ethics, said:

“We have seen during the disorder last summer and in a few high-profile incidents more recently the very real-world consequences of the information police do and do not release to the public.

In an age of social media speculation and information being able to spread through a variety of channels at an incredible speed, we must ensure our processes are fit for purpose.

Misinformation and disinformation can spread in a vacuum. It is good policing for us to fill that vacuum with facts in the public interest.”

In May, Merseyside Police disclosed the ethnicity of the driver of a car that drove into a crowd during Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory celebrations just a few hours after his arrest.

Seeking to prevent unrest, police announced just two hours after the incident that the suspect was a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area.

The new guidance follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s request in March for the Law Commission to fast-track new contempt of court rules to allow more information about suspects to be released.