Justice Demanded: An Inspector Calls for Protection of Women’s Rights Amid Storm Over Transgender Search Policy

**British Transport Police Guidance on Trans Officers Strip-Searching Women Sparks Outrage and Lawsuit**

The British Transport Police (BTP) are facing a lawsuit from women’s rights campaigners over new guidance that allows trans officers to strip-search women, despite the guidance being in breach of human rights.

The BTP’s September guidance makes it clear that trans officers can search people of the same sex as “either their birth certificate or GRC” (Gender Recognition Certificate). This means that male officers can intimately search women as long as they have a GRC, regardless of their biological sex.

**Background**

In January, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) withdrew similar guidance after public outcry, with the Conservative government expressing concerns about women’s safety. As a result, the NPCC published a statement saying it was conducting a thorough review of its guidance on searches conducted by transgender officers.

**The Lawsuit**

In response to the BTP’s guidance, women’s rights campaigners have written to Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi calling for the guidance to be removed. Maya Forstater, the chief executive of the gender-critical campaign group Sex Matters, has described the guidance as “state-sponsored sex discrimination and sexual abuse.” The group is seeking a judicial review to challenge the guidance, stating that it allows male officers to carry out strip-searches on female detainees who have declared themselves to be women.

“Foraster has stated: “This policy means every woman who travels on trains around the UK is at risk of being subjected to undignified and humiliating treatment, which is a breach of her human rights.” she said.

“We are bringing this case to ensure that no woman in the UK has to suffer this degrading treatment, and to protect female officers from being forced to search male suspects who decide to declare themselves ‘women’.”

**Cathy Larkman, a Retired Police Superintendent and National Policing Lead for the Women’s Rights Network, also weighed in on the issue, stating:**

“It will now either be established that British Transport Police has overreached themselves and permitted women’s human rights to be breached in the most heinous and undignified way, or that the law supports this outright intrusion on women’s bodies.”

**Reactions and Responses**

A spokesman for the British Transport Police (BTP) said they cannot comment further on the issue due to pending legal proceedings.

While BTP confirmed that a civil claim has been received, this is the latest development in a heated debate over women’s rights and the possibility of being strip-searched by someone who has a Gender Recognition Certificate declaring they are a member of the opposite sex.

**What is a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)?**

A GRC is a legal document that allows a person to change their sex on official UK documents such as birth certificates and passports to match their preferred gender identity. To be eligible, the person must have lived in their acquired gender for at least 2 years.

**Frequently Asked Questions**

Q: What does the BTP guidance on trans officers strip-searching women entail?
A: The BTP guidance states that trans officers can search people of the same sex as “either their birth certificate or GRC”.

Q: What does this mean in practice for women?
A: This means male officers with a GRC can search female detainees, regardless of their biological sex.

Q: What is a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)?
A: A GRC is a legal document that allows a person to change their sex on official UK documents to match their preferred gender identity. To be eligible, the person must have lived in their acquired gender for at least 2 years.

Q: What is the controversy surrounding the BTP guidance?
A: Women’s rights campaigners have expressed concern that the guidance breaches human rights, allowing male officers with a GRC to intimately search female detainees, while potentially infringing on the rights of female officers who may be forced to search male suspects claiming to be women.

Q: What is the current state of the lawsuit?
A: A judicial review is underway, with Sex Matters seeking to challenge the BTP guidance.