Police forces across England and Wales have quietly updated policies allowing transgender officers to conduct strip searches on detainees of the gender they identify as, even if they have not undergone surgery. The change has sparked significant controversy, with critics arguing it undermines women’s rights and could erode public trust in law enforcement.

According to recent reports, transgender women—biological males who identify as female—can carry out intimate searches on female detainees. Guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) states that an officer’s self-identified gender determines whether they can conduct searches, rather than their biological sex. The Home Office and police leadership argue this approach is in line with equality laws and workplace rights.

However, campaigners and women’s rights groups have strongly objected, warning that it could place vulnerable women in distressing situations.

Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, said: “Paying £5 for a piece of paper from the government doesn’t turn a male police officer into a female one, any more than wearing a dress or putting on lipstick would. We regard this guidance as a serious breach of the fundamental rights of female detainees.”

Concerns have also been raised about whether detainees will be informed if a transgender officer is performing the search and whether they will have the right to request an officer of their birth sex instead.

Police forces maintain that officers conducting strip searches undergo rigorous training and that detainees’ dignity will be respected. A spokesperson for the NPCC stated that forces must comply with the Equality Act while ensuring all searches are conducted lawfully and sensitively.

The debate over transgender rights and women’s safety continues to be a flashpoint in public discourse, with this latest development adding further fuel to an already heated discussion.