Staffordshire Police force defies trans ruling to put biological men in women’s cells

[IwantToRetire]

A police force is placing biological men in women’s cells despite the Supreme Court ruling that transgender women are not legally women.

Staffordshire Police says its custody policy means “detainees may be placed in accommodation consistent with their gender identity”, The Telegraph can reveal.

That means biological men who identify as transgender women can be placed in women’s-only custody cells.

The force introduced the rules in the wake of last April’s Supreme Court ruling that sex in equality law refers to biological sex, which has been widely interpreted as meaning that biological men cannot use female single-sex facilities.

Its revised policies commit to allowing a person to self-identify their chosen gender.

Staffordshire Police has also been accused of providing “contradictory” guidance on whether an officer of the opposite sex can carry out strip searches.

Cathy Larkman, a director of the Women’s Rights Network and a retired police superintendent, said: “These policies do not comply with the Supreme Court judgment, and they indicate a level of ignorance with the law and a disregard for the rights of women that is deeply concerning.” ...

Article continues at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/26/police-force-defies-trans-ruling-biological-men-women-cells/

And at https://archive.is/TRpnd

Jesus wept.

Are these cells for a single occupent... or multiple occupents?

Bastards.

The cells are single occupant, this appears to be a non issue. I wonder what differences there actually are in "women's" police cells.

So they don't understand the SCJ (think a GRC changes a person's sex for the purposes of strip searches)
And don't understand what "case by case" means.

Super!

'It states that “male and female detainees are separated for safeguarding” but goes on to say that “where recognised, detainees may be placed in accommodation consistent with their gender identity”.
The document adds: “Non-binary detainees will be accommodated in the most appropriate location to ensure robust safeguarding.”
It adds that failure to do this could raise a “risk of inappropriate placement (eg. housing a trans woman in male custody), creating safety risks including assault, bullying, or harassment”.'

So, if they're individual cells how is there a risk of assault/bullying/etc?

The article says same sex strip searches are normal and a different sex can be requested.

I've looked up men's and women's cells and it seems that they are normally off different corridors and the women's cells have more privacy.

I really couldn't get exercised about this.

Even if the cells are single-occupancy:

and shower arrangements are managed to prevent contact between detainees.

I assume, then, that this means that female police officers would be expected to "manage" (guard/watch?) a trans-identified male while he showers, "to prevent contact between detainees"?

I’m surprised they even have separate cells in custody suites tbh, presumably they are single occupancy, completely contained and identical to each other.

Custody cells are sole occupancy and are exactly the same for men and women. They try to have a section of cells for women and a section for juveniles but it often can’t be done due to how busy it is and if you’ve only got cell free then they are going in that one.

Well in a way that would be a better explanation than all this word salad about gender identity.

Although I took it to mean that whatever the actual arrangement is, there is an impact / change to the area or corridor meant for women.

As an afterthought I wonder whether throughout Staffordshire all custody cells are the same.

of course not. 🙄

You only damage your arguments in the battle to restore and retain women's rights by picking fights over things which are inconsequential and by being sarcastic to people who point that out.

As a women firmly behind women's rights, it frustrates me to see women do and say things which hand non-trans people who support of the erosion of women's rights by trans people ammunition to say how irrational gender critical/realist women are being.

I imagine the women's cells are not anywhere as busy as the men's. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put TIM prisoners in the women's area, particularly if it's otherwise empty.

As @ACR7 said, custody suites have to run on demand and dynamic risk assessment. They have to use what they have in the safest way they can.

I don't like the wording of the guidance though. It makes the decision-making process sound ideological rather than practical and risk-based.

And it irritates me that you are on here constantly dismissing other people's posts. Who made you board police?

If they are single cells anyway I can’t see the problem. They weren’t segregated in the past, and not sure they are everywhere anyway

ah @Imdunfer are you the “right kind of feminist”?…
by your “I can’t get exercised by this” do you mean no sports at all?

That's an issue. Women police officers should not be required to supervise males when they are in a state of undress.

What a ridiculous comment. I'm not stopping anyone else from writing, I'm not remotely suggesting that anyone else should stop writing, and I'm only stating my own point of view.

Did I strike a nerve somewhere?

If this is a joke you need to use a smiley. It's a normal expression in UK English.

Is what a joke?

Why did you mention sport?

Why circumscribe women police officers' jobs in that way? If they're going to be forced to withdraw every time that, say, a drunken yob starts taking his trousers off, they will go back to being second class officers.

No. You are constantly on here criticising, belittling, and dismissing women's posts.

I am entitled to a point of view, this is a public forum. I am also on here constantly supporting feminist threads and other women, and sometimes men. If you think my posts are "belittling" then I think you need to look at your own self esteem.