Cooper: We want greater transparency on accused

POLICE should be allowed to reveal if migrants have been charged with crimes, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper appeared to suggest yesterday.

- By Michael Knowles

She said ministers want to see "greater transparency" and vowed to change the guidance given to police chiefs and prosecutors.

She pointed to a case where Iranians were charged with spying offences in May and the Crown Prosecution Service revealed three of them had arrived either on small boats or a lorry. The College of Policing said transparency is “essential to prevent misinformation”.

The issue has been the subject of fierce debate in high-profile cases, including recently over the charging of two men — reported to be Afghan asylum seekers — over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.