Jon Burrows calls on PSNI to publicise ethnicity of wanted suspects after unprecedented police appeal for 'white male'
Jon Burrows has said that police should be “consistently” including the race of suspects they want to trace, so long as it is “relevant” to the appeal.
The former senior PSNI officer, who now leads the UUP, was reacting to what appears to be the first-ever such description of a suspect’s race in a routine press release from the force.
The PSNI issues public appeals in relation to crimes, often several times a day, both via the press and on its own social media accounts.
These frequently include details of suspects’ height, build, and what they were wearing, but enquiries by the News Letter last summer were unable to turn up any appeals that involved a description of a suspect's race or national origin.
The closest they came is that, very occasionally, such appeals would specify the accent of a suspect.
For example, the News Letter combed through five years’-worth of PSNI press releases and found five examples of a non-Northern Irish accent being cited (one involving an English accent, one a Polish one, and three cases involving southern Irish accents).
Then earlier this month the PSNI issued the following press release: “Police are investigating a report of a sexual assault on a two juveniles in the Cedar Street area of Derry/Londonderry on Monday afternoon, June 8.
"The white male suspect is described as being of slim build, with short dark hair, and wearing dental braces.
"He was dressed in a distinctive green Superdry hoodie with front logo, dark trousers, and dark coloured shoes.”
Police are seeking witnesses or dashcam footage, and have asked the public to call 101 and quote reference number 1137 of 08/06/2026 (or contact Crimestoppers anonymously).
That Londonderry appeal came just two days after the PSNI, in another exceptionally rare move, had released the national background of the suspect in the north Belfast stabbing (saying he was believed to be Somali, and later updating this to Sudanese).
The News Letter asked the PSNI why it had released a racial description in the case of the Londonderry juvenile assault, and if this is going to be policy from now on.
It responded: “On occasions the PSNI may release the ethnicity of a suspect if there is a policing purpose to do so.
"We follow guidance from the College of Policing/National Police Chiefs’ Council relating to publicising ethnicity/nationality where there is a related risk or impact to public safety.”
Last year, Mr Burrows had told the News Letter that “clearly ethnicity, skin colour, or accent are all highly relevant details that must be included” in witness appeals.
In the wake of the PSNI’s call to trace the white male suspect in Londonderry, he said: "The key principle is that the description in the witness appeal includes whatever is relevant to help gather vital information.
"Political considerations or political correctness should not be a factor - if the skin colour of the suspect is relevant is should be released.
"It should not be simply confined to confirming a suspect is white - but including ethnicity should be included consistently if it is relevant to the witness appeal.
"Policing should be without fear of favour and follow the evidence."
The guidance to which the PSNI had been referring states: “On charge, forces should confirm the nationality and /or ethnicity of the suspect or defendant (where known or recorded) in high profile or sensitive investigations or operations where there is:
"A policing purpose in doing so; a related risk or impact on public safety such as rising community tension; mis or disinformation leading to community tension; a significant level of media or social media interest.”
However, neither the Sudanese suspect nor the individual in Londonderry had been charged when the PSNI released the information.