Police officers who identify as male one day and female on another have been given different warrant cards to reflect both genders.
Three police forces in England confirmed they have issued both male and female identity cards in cases where officers are ‘gender fluid’.
Leicestershire, Norfolk and Suffolk all confirmed they had issued officers with more than one card to reflect different genders. In theory, other forces have policies in pace to also allow the practice.
MPs and campaign groups have described the move as ‘absurd’ and called for ‘common sense’.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Mail: ‘This woke nonsense must end. We need a return to common sense policing.’
Warrant cards are almost universally carried by police officers, and most produce this form of identification in order to execute certain duties. This includes stop-and-search.
Uniformed officers are often required to present their warrant card if requested by a member of the public.
Three police forces in England have issued ‘gender fluid’ officers with both male and female warrant cards
Guidance from the National Police Chiefs Council states that thorough searches, such as those which expose intimate body parts, should be carried out by officers and staff of the same biological sex as the detained person.
This follows the UK Supreme Court ruling last year which found that the term ‘woman’ legally refers to biological sex at birth, and not a person’s identity.
So the prospect of a biologically male police officer carrying a female warrant card has caused concern.
A spokesman for the Women’s Rights Network campaign group said: ‘Police officers need credibility and trust from the public. Policing with consent depends on this.
‘So why some police forces are still choosing to issue their officers with “male” and “female” warrant cards so they can choose whatever they feel like that day is both concerning and absurd.
‘The public are not stupid. They know that nobody is both sexes.’
Former police officer Harry Miller, who set up the free speech pressure group Fair Cop, said having different warrant cards for the same officer was ‘lunacy’.
He told the Mail: ‘It’s a level of craziness that is hard to get your head around.
‘You want your officers to know who they are, and not change it on a daily basis.
‘And what does this say to victims, who often only encounter police officers during the worst of times, if they think they are PC Dave one day and PC Deidre the next?
‘If you can’t even trust them to know whether they are a man or a woman, how can you trust them on matters of life, death and criminality?’
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice described the situation as ‘nonsense’.
He told TalkTV: ‘For Heaven’s sake, show a bit of common sense.’
The findings were first discovered by the Telegraph following Freedom of Information Act requests.
A Leicestershire Police force spokesman said: ‘Multiple ID cards are issued in certain limited circumstances and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This is in line with force equality guidance.
‘Any request will be done with the consideration of security risks and public confidence.’
A spokesman from Norfolk and Suffolk police, neighbouring forces who share some functions, said: ‘Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies are reviewing relevant policies following recent court judgments and we are awaiting further direction from the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
‘Any arrangements relating to warrant cards or identification documents are subject to appropriate security controls and governance processes.’
