New guidance in Great Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects charged in high-profile or sensitive cases. The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London is shown. File Photo by Mark Thomas\/EPA<\/p>\n
Aug. 13 (UPI) — New national guidance in Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high-profile or sensitive cases.<\/p>\n
The guidance said that there must be a policing reason<\/a> to release the information, such as to combat disinformation or improve public safety.\n<\/p>\n The move was in response to protests after two men were charged with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, outside of Birmingham, England. The two charged were reported to be Afghan asylum seekers.<\/p>\n Warwickshire Police would not confirm the immigration status, which led Reform U.K. — a right-wing populist party — and its leader Nigel Farage to accuse the police of a cover-up. The police strongly denied this.\n<\/p>\n Ahmad Mulakhil was charged with rape, and Mohammad Kabir has been charged with kidnapping and strangulation.<\/p>\n Responding to protests last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged police to release the ethnicity, saying police should be more transparent.<\/p>\n The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing said they support the new initiative, but it has also drawn criticism from some anti-racist activists, who have said that it could risk making violence against women and girls an issue of ethnicity instead of misogyny.\n<\/p>\n The Home Office will decide if it is “appropriate in all the circumstances” to confirm immigration status of a suspect, the guidance said.<\/p>\n Policing Minister Diana Johnson told Sky News<\/a>, “We welcome the guidance. We want to be as transparent and as open as possible with the public,” including releasing ethnicity and nationality unless there is “good reason not to.”<\/p>\n