Recording the sex/gender identification of individuals who come into contact with the police

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.21.022373

I note you seek access to the following information:

Could you please tell me how your force deals with recording the sex/ gender identification of individuals who come into contact with the police?

For instance, if a person is arrested or charged with a crime, will the official record state the gender they choose to identify as, their legal sex as recorded on their birth certificate, or something else?

Could you clarify in particular if this would apply in the case of a person arrested or charged with rape or sexual assault?

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

When recording crimes, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is required to comply with the Home Office Counting Rules, in line with other police forces in England and Wales.

Presently, this does not provide any advice or requirements for the recording of an individual’s sex or gender, whether they be victims, offenders, witnesses or informants. However, our crime recording system (CRIS) allows for the sex of an individual to be recorded along with any ‘other’ victim / suspect / accused information:

Sex: Male / Female / Other

In addition to this, there is an 'Officer's Notes' section further down which allows for specific text pertaining to anything not covered within the constraints of the individual's pages.

In terms of self-defining, there is no policy which stipulates that the MPS must record self-defined gender of a person who makes contact with the police.