Police chiefs are embroiled in a fresh woke row over official guidance that says biological men who identify as women can ask to be strip searched by a female officer.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council and British Transport Police will next week face a High Court challenge after they published the guidance despite last year’s Supreme Court ruling.
Women’s rights groups who have launched the legal action say the advice from police chiefs will put female officers under pressure to search detainees who are biological men.
The NPCC strip-search guidance says: ‘Where an individual whose lived in gender is not the same as their biological sex expresses a preference to be searched by an officer of their lived gender, efforts will be made to ensure an appropriate officer is identified to conduct the search.’
It comes after the organisation was last week forced to review separate anti-racism guidance for officers following a backlash over the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
The strip-search guidance was amended in 2025 following the Supreme Court ruling on biological sex to prevent biological male officers from conducting intimate searches of women.
However the umbrella body – which produces guidance for all police forces – will still allow biological male suspects who identify as women to request to be strip searched by a female officer.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council and British Transport Police are set to face a High Court challenge over official guidance that says biological men who identify as women can ask to be strip searched by a female officer (file photo)
The NPCC guidance says that female officers can refuse to conduct an intimate search of a trans woman detainee. But women’s rights campaigners say that in reality female officers feel they can’t opt out of their duties (file photo)
The NPCC guidance says that female officers can refuse to conduct an intimate search of a trans woman detainee.
But women’s rights charity Sex Matters, which is bringing the legal challenge, argues that female officers feel that in reality they can’t opt out of their duties, fearing career repercussions. They claim in legal documents this amounts to discrimination and harassment.
The group has applied to the High Court for the guidance to be overturned, with legal submissions including concerns expressed by unnamed serving female police officers.
The documents state: ‘They are concerned about predatory male detainees and requests being made for searches for reasons of sexual motivation and the exploitation of female officers.’
The hearing is due to begin on 16 June at the High Court.
The NPCC said the guidance ‘was developed after a thorough process in response to last year’s Supreme Court ruling’ and is ‘explicit that officers will face no career detriment for refusing to carry out a search’.
A spokesman added: ‘We will be outlining our position in court and look forward to the court’s decision in the coming weeks.’
British Transport Police was approached for comment.
