Independent inquiry into way GMP has treated women and girls

AN INDEPENDENT inquiry has been commissioned to assess the treatment of women and girls in Greater Manchester Police custody, it was confirmed. 

The Baird Inquiry - which will result in a report later this year - will focus on strip searches, intimate searches and clothing removal and replacement, announced Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Dame Vera Baird KC, a former police and crime commissioner and national victims commissioner, has now been appointed. 

The inquiry is also expected to assess what care is given to females in custody and how complaints are dealt with.

It comes as a police watchdog launches an investigation into a complaint made by a woman about the treatment she received in custody at a Greater Manchester police station. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it received two referrals from the force on July 26 regarding allegations made by the woman about her detention in Salford in February 2021.

The woman, and two others, have accused the force of unjustified strip searches.

In a statement, GMCA said yesterday: “Following recent reports in the media of women who shared their experiences of being in the custody of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the Mayor announced that he and the Deputy Mayor have asked Dame Vera Baird KC to conduct an inquiry.

“Dame Vera - a highly experienced King’s Counsel, former Police and Crime Commissioner and national Victims Commissioner (2019-22) - will use her expertise to review the experiences of women and girls who are arrested and taken into police custody, with a focus around their rights, their safety and their dignity.