Supreme Court Ruling
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/25/003265/C
Version Date: 11/06/2025
The Corporate Development Department has provided the following information.
Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please supply me with full answers to each of the following questions regarding your force's policies in light of the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case and subsequent Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance.
1. Has your force sent any messages to officers or staff regarding the ruling and its implications? If so, please provide a copy
The following message from the Assistant Chief Officer was published on the Force intranet:
‘Dear colleagues,
Many will be aware that the Supreme Court made a ruling in recent days that in the Equality Act 2010 the legal definition of a woman or man is based on biological sex.
This has implications for policing nationally, as well as for our colleagues. It is a complex matter. We are mindful of the strength of feeling and impact from all perspectives and we remain committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.
I would encourage anyone affected to reach out to the staff networks, who are there to provide support and our Employee Assistance programme.
We are tracking carefully the national position, which is considering the full implications of the ruling. Below is a statement this week from the national leads taking this forward.
I have formed a Gold group to consider the implications for Dorset Police, working closely with Alliance colleagues, Legal Services and our LGBT+ Network.
For now, we are applying our current procedures, policies and processes until a revised national position is considered and shared.
If you have any specific queries or concerns while we await the national guidance, please email [email protected]
Thank you.’
- Has your force changed or is it considering changing its policies on use of toilets/changing rooms for transgender people? If so please provide details
The force has established a working group to identify and review policies relevant to the supreme court judgement. We have received the Interim EHRC guidance and are awaiting guidance from the NPCC, both of which will support the review of policies.
- Has your force changed or is it considering changing its policy on search of detainees/suspects by transgender officers/staff? If so please provide details
The force has established a working group to identify and review policies relevant to the supreme court judgement. We are awaiting guidance from the NPCC to support the review of policies.
- Has your force held any meetings with external LGBT+ groups or internal LGBT+ staff networks since the ruling? If so please provide details of the groups attending and the minutes of the meeting
No specific meetings have been held but Staff Networks, including LGBT+ and Women’s Network representatives, are members of our Gold and Silver meeting structure.