Police criticised over allowing suspects to self-identify gender

Police Scotland has been criticised by women’s rights campaigners after the force was unable to say when it made a decision to allow criminal suspects to “self-identify” their gender.

Earlier this year it emerged those accused of a crime can self-declare their gender without providing any evidence.

But Police Scotland has been unable to confirm when that change was made, saying the policy “evolved” over time.

Academics have argued the intro duction of gender selfidentification has significant implications for the accuracy and reliability of crime statistics, amid claims a small number of transgender suspects could “skew” the data.

Police S cotland was asked u n d e r F r e e d o m o f I n f o r - ma t i o n l e g i s l a t i o n wh e n i t stopped recording incidents according to a p erson’s bio - logical sex and began recording according to self-identified gender.

A f o r c e s p o k e s w o m a n responded: “I can confirm that there was no ‘effective date’ for this process, rather it has evolved as best practice and ensures all people are treated fairly and with respect, in line with the Police Scotland Code of Ethics.

“With regards to victims, witnesses and susp ects, Police Scotland have always treated p eople as they present, and incidents are therefore recorded according to a person’s selfidentified gender/sex.

“We require no evidence or certification as proof of gender identity other than a person’s self-declaration, unless it is pertinent to any criminal investigation with which they are linked and it is evidentially critical that we legally require this proof.”

In March, justice secretar y Humza Yousaf told MSPS that this was the case.

Kath Murray, a criminologist who is part of policy analysis group Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said: “The unregulated intro duction of gen - der self-identification principles in the S cottish criminal justice system has significant implications for the accuracy of recorded crime data.

“We a r e a l s o c o n c e r n e d a b o u t m e d i a r e p o r t i n g o n o f f e n d i n g b e h av i o u r s t h a t have a clear sex-based pattern in the population.

“Males are disprop or tionately responsible for violent and sexual crime, and being able to name the issue of male v i o l e nc e i s v i t a l , b o t h a t a n individual and a societal level.”

cmarshall@scotsman.com