The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing have backed plans to offer greater “transparency” on the ethnicity, and potentially the immigration status, of police suspects. But in a world where rumours travel faster than facts, this new approach will have profound consequences for justice – and for the people who will live with the consequences.
The new national guidance says that “police forces should consider disclosing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high profile and sensitive investigations and operations”. It comes after Reform UK accused police of a “cover-up” over two men who have been charged in connection with the alleged rape of a child in Nuneaton. Prior to this, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, had expressed her view that guidance should change to allow “more transparency”. She was joined in this opinion by the chief inspector of constabulary, who warned that withholding such details could feed “two-tier policing” claims (the allegation that the state polices majorities more harshly than minorities, contrary to the overwhelming body of evidence that shows otherwise).
