Starmer Just Dodged the Biggest Question About Police Transparency (Again)

By HOAR Team 28 May, 2025 4 mins read 126 Views

So here we are again.

The PM basically shrugged when asked about whether police should always tell us the race of arrested suspects. Keir Starmer pulled his usual "that's for the police to decide" routine after Liverpool cops did something actually smart for once - they took just two hours to confirm their car-rampage suspect was white and British.

And honestly? Those Merseyside officers nailed it. But Starmer won't commit to making this the standard everywhere, which feels like political cowardice wrapped in bureaucratic speak.

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Two Hours vs. Months of Chaos

The contrast is brutal when you think about it. Liverpool police saw online speculation starting to spiral and shut it down fast. Meanwhile, remember the Southport nightmare? Axel Rudakubana killed three little girls, and the information vacuum lasted so long that half the country was rioting based on complete garbage they read on Twitter.

My mate who works in community policing texted me: "Finally someone gets it." The misinformation spread like wildfire because nobody in authority would just... tell the truth quickly.

The Terror Law Guy Gets It (Why Doesn't Downing Street?)

Jonathan Hall - he's the UK's independent reviewer of terror laws, proper serious guy - came out swinging for transparency. His take? "Don't give any fuel to the conspiracy merchants."

Then he said something that should be obvious but apparently isn't: "If it had been a Muslim, an Asian, a black man or woman, they would have to say that. You've got to be fully consistent."

Exactly. Either we're transparent about everything or we're not. This cherry-picking approach is what got us into trouble in teh first place.

No10's Broken Record Response

When pressed again, Downing Street just repeated their line about it being "a matter for the police." Which is technically true but completely misses the point.

The government could easily issue guidance encouraging rapid disclosure when public safety or misinformation concerns arise. They could create protocols. They could actually lead instead of hiding behind "operational independence" every time things get uncomfortable.

But that would require taking a position that might upset someone somewhere.

What Actually Works

Liverpool proved the formula works: see speculation building online, release basic factual information quickly, watch the conspiracy theories die before they spread. It's not rocket science.

The alternative? Weeks of silence while social media fills with lies, followed by riots, followed by everyone acting shocked that misinformation had consequences. We literally just lived through this cycle.

Sometimes the simplest solutions are staring you right in the face. Too bad our PM seems determined to look the other way.

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