'That's two-tier policing!' Martin Daubney shuts down guest in heated row over suspect identities as police chief backs 'transparency'

He suggested that police forces should routinely release information on the ethnicity of suspects even if it "emboldens" racists.

He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "We're in such an age of such citizen journalism, people have screenshots, phones, some content will be all over social media very, very quickly.

"People will be making guesses and inferences – I think in that world putting more facts out is the only way to deal with it."

Discussing whether police should be quick to release the identity of suspects following arrest, Nelson claimed that it "should be the default", but it will "depend on the circumstances".

He told GB News: "I think that should be the default position, it's absolutely right, but it must be an operational decision for the police.

"They've obviously been pitched into the social media age by Axel Rudakubana, so they realised they made a mistake there."

Nelson then suggested it could still spark "tensions", arguing: "I think it'll depend on the circumstances, it could well be that if you've got tension, say, with cross-Channel migrants. Say a cross-Channel migrants involved in it."

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Martin was quick to interject, hitting back: "Well that would be two-tier policing because that would protect them, and that's the point!"

Defending his argument further, Nelson responded: "It's not a question of protecting them, it's a question of operationally what is the most sensible course of action, which is actually multi-tier policing, which is what the police do."

Martin hit back again, stating: "No, because if there's going to be equity before the law, it needs to be fully equitable.

"It shouldn't be a case of 'oh, it might inflame intentions and there might be racists out there', because that's the complete antithesis of equality before the law?"

Outlining the operations of police, Nelson concluded: "That's what the police do. They have to take all factors into account before making a decision, which is why they have operational independence away from politicians."

Sir Mark Rowley acknowledged criticism of Merseyside Police's decision to reveal the Liverpool suspect's ethnicity, but said that was now best practice moving forward.

"And if those facts generate embolden racists in some cases then we need to confront those individuals," he said.

"I think trying to avoid truths when half truth is in the public domain is going to be quite difficult going forward."