Police ‘forced to disclose ethnicity of suspects to counter far-right speculation’ | Police

A former senior official at the Metropolitan Police has warned that police are being forced to reveal the ethnicity of suspects in response to a rise in far-right speculation on social media.

At 10.30am on Sunday morning, British Transport Police said two men had been arrested following multiple stabbings on a train in Cambridgeshire: a 32-year-old black British citizen and a 35-year-old British citizen of Caribbean descent. BTP said in a statement later on Sunday evening that the 35-year-old was released without further action and was “not involved” in the attack.

New guidance was published in August to combat misinformation spread on social media following the murder of three schoolgirls in Southport last summer.

Campaigners have warned the move could encourage focus on the racial background of suspects and lead to more right-wing conspiracy theories if the information is not made public.

Dal Babu, a former superintendent of Britain’s largest force, said it was an “unintended consequence” for police to have to reveal the race of suspects in incidents involving people of different races.

“When the new guidance was published, I warned that there was a danger that the police would be expected to release information at every opportunity,” he said.

“I sympathize with my former colleagues in the police. They are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. They are under pressure because after every major incident there is intense speculation from the far right on social media about the suspects’ past.

“For example, when black players are subjected to racist abuse on social media, you will not find pressure on social media to state the ethnicity of the suspects. We are in a position in our country where race is amplified by far-right racist groups and the police are forced to respond. This is worrying.”

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, whose constituency includes Huntingdon, where the train made an emergency stop at the time of the stabbing, said it was “regrettable” but it was necessary for police to focus on quickly releasing the ethnicity of the men arrested.

Speaking at Huntingdon station shortly after British Transport Police made the statement on Sunday, he said: “I don’t like it. I understand why they did it. I think they have to do it now.”

“And I think it’s sad that because people are using social media for their own purposes, pushing their own agendas and stories, we’ve gotten to a stage where the police are having to uncover this information so we can deal with the facts and normal speculation.”

Before police announced the ethnicities of the people arrested Sunday morning, right-leaning politicians had demanded a quicker response.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the Telegraph: “The police should have released identification details by now, as they said they should have and as they have in other recent cases.” Reform England leader Nigel Farage told X: “We need to know as soon as possible who carried out these horrific attacks.”

Far-right social media accounts tried to exploit the incident. An account called “British Patriot”, which has nearly 5,000 followers on

Even after the police announced that the two arrested suspects were British citizens, attempts were made to withhold information.

Ben Habib, the former co-leader of Reform UK, who founded a party backed by the far-right activist now known as Tommy Robinson, said it was “almost inconceivable” that the incident was not an act of terrorism. Police said on Sunday morning: “There is nothing at this stage to suggest this is a terrorist incident.”

Habib compared a senior police officer’s statement on Sunday morning, describing both suspects as British, with official statements saying the Southport killer was Welsh. He said it was “possible” the suspects were British but police had not released their names, adding: “Until the chapter and verse comes, I will remain extremely suspicious.”

The guidance was developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) taking into account “public concerns” and to ensure police processes are “fit for purpose in an era of rapid information dissemination”.

The reform was announced shortly after the UK accused authorities of hiding the identities and immigration status of two men – reported to be Afghan asylum seekers – accused of allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in Warwickshire.

In May, when a car plowed into a crowd celebrating Liverpool FC’s Premier League title, Merseyside police publicly stated that the man arrested was white and British, in a bid to dispel rumors that an Asian man had carried out a terrorist attack.

The NPCC said decisions on the release of such information would rest with police forces and wider legal and ethical considerations would also be taken into account. Verifying a suspect’s immigration status will be up to the Home Office, not the police.