Grope the suspect
The Met Police are reviewing their uniform policy amid concerns some officers feel obliged to wear uniforms that do not match their gender identity. Currently, the uniforms officers wear are at a manager’s discretion, meaning that some trans or non-binary officers may feel obliged to ‘come out’ to management when picking their kit.
But “coming out” as gender-special is the whole point. It’s an announcement that One is more special than everyone else. Doing it to a manager, and watching the manager anxiously grovel, must be their treat of the year.
In his interview with MyLondon, [Chief Inspector Declan] Halton-Woodward revealed that the Met Police are also reviewing how body searches in custody can “better reflect the officer’s gender identity” – which could involve making it the default that trans women are able to search female arrestees.
At the Met. At the Met, with its history of “What’s that smell? Must be her knickers!” and retaining Wayne Couzens long enough so that he took the opportunity to rape and murder Sarah Everard. The Met is going to allow men to do body-searches of women. Of course it is.
I mean, the answer to this is the same as the answer to Catholics who refuse to dispense birth control at pharmacies — you are certainly allowed your idiosyncratic beliefs, but the job is the job, and if you cannot do the job, your services may well be appreciated in a different position or industry.
And possibly getting rid of female officers entirely. “Trans” “women” will search female arrestees, and “cis” men will search male arrestees.
Police uniforms in the UK are fairly similar across forces and there aren’t that many differences between male and female operational designs (dress uniforms still include skirts for the women as far as I remember, although I don’t know if they are mandatory).
Black trousers, white shirt and anti-stab vest are standard for both sexes. Men wear a peaked cap or the traditional tall “bobbies” helmet and a black tie. The women have a helmet that looks more like a wide-brimmed bowler hat and wear a black and white chequered cravat.
If the police are really concerned about gendered clothing then it seems to me that the solution is to standardise them across the sexes, instead of creating more confusion by allowing people to lie about their sex.
Sure, but that doesn’t “affirm” or “validate” anyone. It’s like the third spaces offered for trans identified people for toilet facilities. Not good enough; it’s to be the women’s room or nothing, even though “they just want to pee!”
This is more like it! Suspects become props and extras in the Brave and Stunning Trans and EnBee officers’ epic journey of Validation and Affirmation. After all, this is the whole point of the entire criminal justice system, is it not?
Didn’t this department get the memo that warned that the wheels are starting to come off the whole Stonewall/NODEBATE! trans bandwagon? They’re at risk of being on the trailing edge, if not the actual Wrong Side of History.