Thames Valley Police to give ethnicity and nationality of suspects in ‘high profile’ cases

Thames Valley Police will release information about a suspect’s ethnicity and nationality in certain ‘high-profile or sensitive’ criminal cases, the force has said.

Updated College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) guidance has asked police forces to consider releasing more information about suspects' origins. 

It comes as police attempt to curb disinformation and misinformation about the background of people involved in criminal proceedings, which has been spread online following major incidents    

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “We are adopting the new interim national guidance on the disclosure of suspects’ nationality and ethnicity in some high-profile or sensitive cases.

“This does not mean such details will be routinely disclosed in all cases.

“Decisions will be made by the force based on a clear policing purpose such as community tension, countering misinformation or disinformation or risk to public safety.”

Speculation raged online over the ethnicity, nationality and immigration status of the attacker involved in the Southport killings, where three young girls were murdered at a dance party in 2024.

Teenager Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, was named three days after the attacks, following a court order that reporting restrictions could be lifted. He was later jailed after he pleaded guilty to murder and other charges. 

Merseyside Police then opted to release the ethnicity and nationality of suspect Paul Doyle, 53, when he was arrested after a car ploughed into crowds during a Liverpool F.C. parade in May this year.

Under the new guidance, the Home Office has also been authorised to disclose the immigration status of suspects involved in cases deemed to have met the criteria.  

An NPCC statement on the new guidance said criteria could include a ‘risk to public safety, where there are high levels of mis or disinformation’ or a case of ‘significant public interest’.

Deputy chief constable Sam de Reya, of the NPCC, said the updated police guidance would ‘fill the vacuum’ of information ‘with facts’.

“We saw during last summer’s disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain,” DCC de Reya said.

“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.  

“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.”

College of Policing chief executive officer, Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, said new guidance had been issued to help ‘navigate today’s challenging information landscape'.

He said: “The public remains concerned about mis and disinformation so this interim guidance provides clarity that police can disclose the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high profile and sensitive investigations.

He added: "Later this year, the College of Policing will update its current authorised professional practice for media relations so that the public, journalists and police forces are clearer on how we all navigate today's challenging information landscape."