Rapists will no longer be able to identify as women following the landmark transgender ruling by the Supreme Court, with police forces now expected to begin recording criminals’ biological sex rather than preferred gender in official crime statistics. The Telegraph has more.
Forces are now expected to begin recording criminals’ birth sex rather than preferred gender in official crime statistics following the ruling, which stated that trans women are not the same as biological women under equality laws.
It will end a situation where some police forces record rapists as being women, even though the legal definition of the crime requires a penis.
Campaigners, including gender critical police officers, have hailed the move as a victory for common sense and have said it will help restore public confidence in policing.
Current guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) recommends forces ask suspects if they are “male”, “female” or “intersex”.
But it goes on to state that: “Using the term ‘gender’ as a substitute for the term ‘sex’ is not appropriate as gender is not a protected characteristic.
“Gender is a social construction relating to behaviours and attributes based on labels of masculinity and femininity.”
However, not all forces follow the guidance and a recent report into the way public bodies collect data on sex and gender revealed that at least 12 police forces allowed rape suspects and other sexual offenders to self declare their preferred gender identity.
This means men arrested on suspicion of violent sexual attacks can self-identify as a woman and be recorded as such on official statistics.
The records form part of the annual data requirement (ADR), submitted by every police force in England and Wales to the Home Office. …
Police sources who have examined the Supreme Court ruling in detail believe it will sweep away the current confusion around transgender sex offenders.
David Spencer, Head of Crime and Justice at Policy Exchange, said it was time for policing to adopt a common sense approach.
He said: “This week’s judgment by the UK Supreme Court shines a light on policies across the public sector.
“An independent review this year found police forces do not consistently record the natal sex of alleged sex offenders – meaning suspected rapists may not be accurately recorded in police records.
“This could have grave consequences for whether the police are able to effectively investigate sexual offences.
“This is the sort of nonsense which leads to the public losing confidence in the police. As Policy Exchange has repeatedly made clear – it is long past time for police chiefs to adopt a common-sense approach to their work.”
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