10 hours ago
Trans suspects can ask for female and male officers to search different halves of body
Trans women with breasts and a penis can ask for a female police officer to search the top half of their body and a male officer to search their bottom half, under new guidance issued in Scotland.
The five-page document issued by Police Scotland says searches will usually be conducted by an officer of the same biological sex as the transgender person.
The guidance, issued following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in April, means that police searches of trans women will be carried out by male officers.
However, the guidance also says that trans people can request to be searched by an officer who matches their 'lived gender' instead to ensure their dignity is 'respected' and 'to minimise distress'.
If this happens, the guidance stated that 'efforts will be made to ensure an appropriate officer conducts the search, where this is operationally viable to do so'.
Officer's consent required
Written consent will be required from the officer conducting the search, an 'authorising officer' of inspector rank or above, and the trans person.
Trans people are also entitled to ask for a 'separate area search' if one part of their body has a different 'anatomical presentation' from another.
This could happen if a trans woman suspect has had hormone therapy to grow breasts but still has male genitalia, for example.
'This means that one half of their body will be searched by one biological sex officer and the other half of their body will be searched by a different biological sex officer,' the guidance said.
Police Scotland said the new policy had been developed following 'extensive advice' for legal and human rights advisors, following April's Supreme Court ruling that the definition of a woman is based solely on biological sex.
'Erosion' of women's rights
But For Women Scotland, the feminist campaign group that won the case, warned that a trans person altering one half of their body does not mean they have changed sex.
Susan Smith, one of the group's directors, said: 'They aren't some creature of myth, half-male and half-female. It is disturbing and distressing that the police are pandering to these extreme delusions.'
She also argued that 'written consent cannot override the law and will be a poor excuse if a female officer subsequently discovers that the suspect she agreed to search intimately has committed sex offences'.
Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at gender-critical charity Sex Matters, said: 'Until what seems like five minutes ago, Police Scotland was a fully-fledged champion of transgender ideology and a paid-up member of Stonewall's diversity champions scheme, so it's a relief to see Police Scotland joining several other forces in the UK in basing strip-searching primarily on biological sex.
'However, the policy to allow trans-identifying suspects to request being searched by someone of the same 'gender' that they identify as is a glaring loophole. It's open to exploitation by trans rights activists who take an active interest in the erosion of boundaries and the rights of women.
'This policy puts female officers at risk of pressure and coercion to go along with the demands of male trans-identifying suspects to be searched by women.'
'Complex' area of policing
Police Scotland is the second-largest force in the UK after London's Metropolitan Police. The British Transport Police has previously confirmed trans women arrested on the railways would in future be strip-searched by male officers.
Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said: 'This is a complex and important area of policing and searching members of the public is a significant intrusion of their personal liberty and privacy.
'It is critical that as an organisation, Police Scotland continues to fulfil its legal duties as well as ensuring officers and staff feel confident that they are conducting searches lawfully.
'While the guidance will bring clarity to both our colleagues and members of the public, we are acutely aware of the impact and depth of feeling around this issue, both among the transgender community and those who hold gender-critical views.'
She said the force's priority was to ensure decisions were made in line with its service values of 'integrity, fairness, respect and upholding human rights'.
