Police forces across the UK have issued select officers with more than one warrant card to reflect different gender identities, allowing officers to display as a man one day, and a woman the next.
Warrant cards are official police identification documents and must be shown by officers when exercising certain powers, including stop and search.
The practice of issuing multiple cards within Suffolk, Norfolk and Leicestershire forces has prompted criticism from MPs and campaigners, who argue it could create confusion and undermine public confidence.
Gender-fluid people describe their gender identity as changing over time, with some identifying as male on some days and female on others.
Freedom of Information requests confirmed that all three police forces have issued more than one warrant card to officers who identify as both male and female.
Other forces are understood to have policies that could permit the practice.
A joint Trans Equality at Work policy used by Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies states that dual or multiple cards can be issued to transitioning or gender-fluid officers if specifically requested.
The policy also says warrant and staff identity cards may need to be updated more than once during a transition.
It allows officers to request changes to other aspects of their identification, including collar or pay numbers, and says officers should be consulted about their preferences.
The scheme confronts the landmark Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of sex, and subsequent updates to policing guidance.
National Police Chiefs’ Council guidance now states that certain searches requiring a person to remove more than outer clothing must be conducted by an officer of the same biological sex.
The NPCC has confirmed, however, that it currently has no live guidance specifically addressing multiple warrant cards for gender-fluid officers.
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Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary, criticised forces for allowing officers to use different gender identities on different days.
“Police forces should not be allowing officers to jump from one gender to the next whenever they feel like it,” he said.
The MP added that biological sex could be relevant when conducting searches, particularly where suspects requested an officer of the same sex.
Harry Miller, a former police officer and founder of campaign group Fair Cop, also criticised the policy, saying members of the public should be able to identify the officer with whom they are dealing.
Not all forces have adopted the same approach however, with South Yorkshire Police stating it would not issue multiple warrant cards in light of security concerns.
Leicestershire Police said multiple identification cards were issued only in “certain limited circumstances” and considered individually, with security risks and public confidence taken into account.
Meanwhile, Norfolk Constabulary said its policies were being reviewed following recent court judgments, and that it was awaiting further direction from the NPCC.
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