FOI 0162-2025/26 - Supreme Court ruling

Request :

1. Has your force sent any messages to officers or staff regarding the ruling and its implications? If so, please provide a copy
2. Has your force changed or is it considering changing its policies on use of toilets/changing rooms for transgender people? If so please provide details 
3. Has your force changed or is it considering changing its policy on search of detainees/suspects by transgender officers/staff? If so please provide details
4. Has your force held any meetings with external LGBT+ groups or internal LGBT+ staff networks since the ruling? If so please provide details of the groups attending and the minutes of the meeting

Response :

I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.

Q1. We have interpreted your request to mean any correspondence originating from the Force Senior Leadership Team and as such, our response is based on this.

The following information was published on our Intranet on 23 May 2025 on behalf of the Deputy Chief Constable:

New police search guidance following Supreme Court decision

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has published draft interim guidance on searches of members of the transgender community, as well as searches carried out by transgender police officers and staff.

It makes clear that thorough police searches, such as those which expose intimate body parts, should be carried out by police officers and staff of the same biological sex as the detained person.

The guidance sets out where very limited exceptions can be requested by the transgender community where they ask to be searched by someone of their lived gender. Police will endeavour to accommodate such requests where this is operationally viable.

Officers will face no career detriment from declining to carry out searches, and any search not conducted in line with biological sex must have the written consent of the detainee, the officer carrying out the search as well as the authorising officer.

The interim guidance is based on legal advice and has been developed after seeking views across policing as well as those of partners. It reflects working practice which already happens every day across policing, where officers and detainees make requests about searches for a multitude of reasons.

Our aim is to ensure we are implementing the law in a pragmatic and consistent way that treats people with fairness, dignity and respect. The guidance and supporting documents have been circulated to relevant leads in every force across the country.

The Chief Officer Team confirms that North Yorkshire Police is to adopt this guidance as our force policy.

Searches will always be carried out where it is operationally necessary – this guidance is only intended to apply to how these searches are conducted in the context of members of the transgender community.

The Deputy Chief Constable Scott Bisset said: “The Supreme Court ruling has caused understandable concern amongst the trans and other communities, including our own colleagues. It has also raised questions about its impact on the way we police, such as stop and search or search in custody. We welcome this new guidance as a clear and consistent national position in this complex and sensitive area of policing. As we continue to consider the full implications of the ruling, I want to reiterate that we are here as a chief officer team to support all of you who are affected or feel affected by the Supreme Court ruling. We want to create a supportive and inclusive culture within our force where everyone feels valued and respected."

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the NPCC, said: “Our aim has been to implement the Supreme Court judgment in a pragmatic and consistent way across policing. We have moved at pace to develop this interim guidance, as it is important that officers and staff have guidance on how searches should be conducted in light of the Supreme Court ruling. We are keen to work with the Home Office to consider the impact of the Supreme Court decision on legislation and help ensure there is consistency and clarity for policing and our partners. We understand the depth of feeling there is on these issues, both among transgender communities as well as those who hold gender critical views. Policing remains committed to treating everyone with fairness, dignity and respect."

In the coming weeks the NPCC will be leading an internal community impact assessment to understand the reaction to and impact of the Supreme Court decision across policing. ​

If you have any concerns about how this guidance affects you personally please speak to your line manager or to the relevant staff support network.

On 28 May we issued the following reminder in our weekly bulletin which is emailed to all employees.

New police search guidance following Supreme Court decision

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has published draft interim guidance on searches of members of the transgender community, as well as searches carried out by transgender police officers and staff. It makes clear that thorough police searches, such as those which expose intimate body parts, should be carried out by police officers and staff of the same biological sex as the detained person. Read more about the new guidance here.

Q2. Changes are under consideration in line with the attached guidance from the NPCC.

Q3. Please see response to Q1. North Yorkshire Police are adhering to national guidance, as per the below:

Police search guidance following Supreme Court decision

Q4. Please find below relevant extracts of the minutes of the DEI Silver Meeting which took place on 20 May 2025 where the Supreme Court ruling was discussed.

New Actions

Action #116. 20.05.25. Update for Policing on the Supreme Court Decision re Sex and Gender. ACC will consider providing internal Force guidance regarding interpretation and implementation of the Supreme Court’s guidance.

Discussed, but no Actions

Supreme Court letter discussed. Main effort is to ‘hold’ whilst further guidance is distributed. Gender Reassignment Certificates now largely defunct.

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.