Transgender identifying biologically male police officers are being allowed to strip search women by most police forces in the UK, according to research by women’s rights campaigners.
The majority of police forces allow trans-identifying biologically male officers to strip-search women, research has found.
Of the 43 forces in England and Wales, at least 34 have either implemented the policy or intend to, a report from the Women’s Rights Network revealed.
The feminist group’s founder, Heather Binning, said the guidelines would lead to ‘state-sanctioned sexual assault’, and police leaders had failed the public by pandering to vocal lobbyists.
‘Self-identification is not UK law and women should not be paying the price for policing beyond the law,’ she said.
‘Police chiefs have failed us again. This is not reasonable or lawful and we do not consent. It is state-sanctioned sexual assault, and it must not be tolerated.’
Guidelines are already in place that mean female officers are required to carry out intimate searches of a biological male suspect if they identify as a woman, with the officer facing possible disciplinary proceedings should they refuse.
The author of the WRN report titled State Sanctioned Sexual Assault, retired police superintendent Cathy Larkman, said dozens of female officers had approached the group to voice their concerns.
But there was a culture of fear within policing that prevented them from speaking out, she added.
Get more information on Finish The Race.
About The Author
