Scottish Police Allow Transgender Suspects Right to Request Body Searches

Scottish Police have announced that transgender suspects have the right to request half of their bodies to be searched by an officer and the other half by a female officer, according to the British newspaper "Daily Mail".

The police issued new guidelines enabling transgender suspects to request half of their bodies to be searched by an officer and the other half by a female officer. Activists against gender discrimination accused Scottish Police of potentially putting female officers at risk through the new rules implemented following a recent court ruling.

In April, judges ruled that the word "woman" means biological female, not gender, according to British equality law.

Scottish Police, a crime-fighting force covering the entire country, conducted a review in response to the April ruling and has now published what it calls a "temporary guidance for searching transgender individuals," describing the search statement as a "complex and important area of police work."

Scottish Police emphasized that the force must "ensure compliance with its duties under equality and human rights law, and that officers and staff feel confident in carrying out searches legally."

Among the new guidelines is a section for questions and answers, including the following suggestion: "Can a transgender detainee request a search of a separate area based on their anatomical appearance?".

The provided response states: "Yes - a transgender detainee can request a search of a separate area.

This means one half of their body will be searched by one biological officer, and the other half will be searched by another biological officer".

These guidelines have raised concerns among social gender rights activists, who fear that female officers may be left in uncomfortable and even dangerous situations.

Kelly Jay Keen, director of the group "Let Women Speak," told "Mail Online": "I am concerned about the rights of policewomen if they are subject to the whims of suspects.

Fiona MacKinnon, campaigns director at the "Sex Matters" association, said: "This ridiculous policy allowing half of a suspect's body to be searched by a woman and the other half by a man comes from a police force that has adopted the ideology of transgender individuals.