2022/25633 - Searching by Transgender Officers and Staff

REQUEST

 

This Freedom of Information Act request is submitted in relation to the agenda item entitled ‘Searching by Transgender Officers and Staff’ approved by the National Police Chiefs Council in December 2021; (hereafter referred to as ’the policy’).

Definitions male/men or female/woman, here meaning sex as recorded at birth, or biological sex.

With regard to the proposed changes to searching policy (the strip and intimate search of women by male officers who self-identify as women; the strip and intimate search of men by female officers who self-identify as men) contrary to the requirements of the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), PACE Code A and Annex A of PACE Code C please respond to the following.

1. Has this Constabulary implemented the policy - ‘Searching by Transgender Officers and Staff’?
2. Confirmation date of implementation.
3. If not already implemented, does this 4. Constabulary intend to introduce this policy?
4. If so, on what date is the Constabulary aiming that the policy be introduced?
5. Confirm the creation of the Constabulary’s amended policy for ‘Searching by Transgender Officers and Staff’ and date created and means of communication to staff.
6. How this policy has/will be conveyed to the public in accordance with fundamental statutory duties. Specify means of consultation and date/s.
7. What internal training to staff has/will be undertaken. Specify who wrote the training, in-house or name of out-sourced organisation, numbers to date of staff trained and date.
8. In advance of implementing this policy what analysis has been carried out with regard to the impact of this policy on members of the public in, for example specifically regarding risk assessment & legal rights with regard to the Equality Act 2010 Protected Characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy, race, religion or belief, sex & sexual orientation?
9. Provide copies of consultation work with external groups and confirm the details of the groups, names of organisations, charities, interest groups with date/dates.
10. Confirm if an Equality Impact Assessment been carried out with regard to this policy change and what groups/protected characteristics were considered with regard to the EIA.
11. If so, confirm date of the Equality Impact Assessment being completed.
12. Provide a copy of the Equality Impact Assessment.

Confirm if this Constabulary has obtained its own separate legal advice in respect of the implementation of this policy and on what date that was obtained.

 

 

RESPONSE