Police chiefs are dragging their feet on banning trans officers from strip-searching women – despite a Supreme Court ruling that sex is biological. The Telegraph has the story.
Forces have been accused of a “stunning lack of urgency” after saying they would not immediately respond to the ruling.
A day after the landmark ruling on April 17th, Chief Constable Rachel Swann, the diversity lead of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), told forces it “welcomed the clarity” but insisted “we will not rush our response”.
On Saturday, an NPCC spokesman told the Telegraph that, in the absence of national guidance, “forces should make decisions [about strip-searches by trans officers] on a case-by-case basis”.
The Telegraph understands that, in practice, this means opposite-sex strip-searches are still allowed in territorial forces across the UK.
This marks the first time forces beyond British Transport Police have clarified their policies on trans strip-searches following the ruling.
Sussex, Merseyside, Northumbria and Surrey Police all confirmed trans officers could still conduct strip or intimate searches on detainees who share their gender identity, but not their biological sex.
Trans people in custody, likewise, may be searched by officers in line with their gender presentation. …
In internal communications on April 17th, Chief Constable Swann thanked senior officers for their “patience” saying: “I welcome the clarity that the decision at the Supreme Court has provided and will be reviewing our policies and procedures in accordance with the outcome.
“However, we will not rush our response to this landmark ruling. We will need time to consider the full implications of the court’s decision, as will many other public bodies.”
Rank-and-file officers have voiced deep frustration at this stance.
A female officer from Northumbria Police described the NPCC position as “keep calm and carry on – we hate this ruling and are looking at options to circumvent it.”
The whistleblower, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The messaging we’re getting as officers reveals a stunning lack of urgency. There’s no rush to review policy.”
Worth reading in full.
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