Police Scotland ends gender self-ID in crime recording

Police in Scotland will record suspects’ biological sex, regardless of how they self-identify, its Chief Constable has confirmed.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell gave the clarification during an evidence session in Holyrood in response to a parliamentary petition which called for people accused or convicted of rape to be accurately recorded by their biological sex.

However, Farrell noted that a rapist who identifies as female would still be addressed as their self-identified gender while in police custody, despite official records stating their biological sex.

Accuracy matters

The Chief Constable said: “Police Scotland supports the petition – a man who rapes or attempts to rape a woman, girl or other victim is, should be, and will be, recorded by Police Scotland as male.”

She explained that the previous policy was to record a person’s sex based on their self-declaration, “unless sex or gender was relevant to an investigation, as would be the case in sexual violence”, but that this would now be expanded “across all crimes”.

The officer confirmed that in Scotland: “There has never been a case of a male committing rape and self-identifying as female and then being recorded by the police’s crime system as female, and that remains the case.”

She stated that “statistics and data accuracy matter”.

Victory for common sense

The petitioners, campaigners Lucy Hunter Blackburn, Lisa Mackenzie and Kath Murray, welcomed the Chief Constable’s comments: “Recognising the need for consistent, reliable data and the moral imperative underpinning our petition, the chief constable has now drawn a line under the confusion in this area, and set a clear standard for other police forces to follow.”

They said: “We hope that this balanced and respectful approach signals a fresh start for Police Scotland, not only in relation to data, but in its handling of issues around sex and gender identity more widely.”

Tess White MSP stated: “This is a victory for common sense — but it has taken far too long for Police Scotland to get to this position.”