A police force in the UK has decided that male officers will now conduct searches of trans women in custody. This change follows a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the definition of sex. The British Transport Police (BTP) announced this new "interim position", stating that trans individuals in custody will be searched according to their birth sex. As a result, trans women will be searched by male officers, and trans women officers will no longer be allowed to search female detainees.
According to The Guardian, under the force's previous policy, officers had been told that anyone in custody with a gender recognition certificate would be searched by an officer matching a detainee's acquired gender.
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Judges in the UK's most senior court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 did not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates.
A spokesperson for BTP said, "Under previous policy, we had advised that someone with a gender recognition certificate may be searched in accordance with their acquired sex.
"However, as an interim position while we digest yesterday's judgement, we have advised our officers that any same-sex searches in custody are to be undertaken in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee.
"We are in the process of reviewing the implications of the ruling and will consider any necessary updates to our policies and practices in line with the law and national guidance."
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