The review, led by Dame Vera Baird KC

  In August 2023, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, commissioned me to carry out an independent Inquiry into the treatment of women and girls who have been arrested and taken into police custody in Greater Manchester. He asked me to do this following a Sky News investigation in July 2023 that reported distressing incidents regarding the cases of three women who were arrested and detained by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). The Mayor commissioned the Inquiry so that the people of Greater Manchester could have confidence in the custody arrangements of GMP and to ensure that people who are arrested and detained in the city-region are treated both lawfully and with dignity. He was particularly concerned with the confidence that the public had in the use of police custody, particularly relating to the treatment of women. The purpose of the Inquiry, as set out fully in the Baird Inquiry Terms of Reference (see Appendix A), was therefore to explore the experiences of people who are arrested and taken into police custody with a focus on women and girls, particularly in respect of how GMP applies the law, and to consider whether current police conduct and approach are compatible with maximising people’s rights, their safety and their dignity. I was asked to focus on the appropriate use, or otherwise, of strip searches and intimate searches, including the removal and replacement of clothing, as this was a key feature in the Sky News investigation. The task was to explore the above in connection with people who were arrested and detained in Greater Manchester beyond those involved in the initial Sky News investigation, to understand how widespread any similar experiences may be. My focus was always on women and girls. However, as some men approached the Inquiry to alert me to problems with their arrest and treatment, I have also sought to understand their experiences.

The Inquiry asked me to: examine the fitness of current policy and procedures, alongside an assessment of GMP’s compliance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and associated codes of practice and notes for guidance; and have regard to other legislation as well as to National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) policy and Authorised Professional Practice from the College of Policing. Ultimately the Inquiry was set up to guide the future practice of GMP to: • maximise people’s rights, safety, care and dignity, with a focus on women and girls who are arrested and detained, in particular those whose first contact with GMP was in order to report a crime or in relation to a crime they had reported themselves. • enhance the confidence of people, especially women and girls, in GMP generally and particularly in reporting crime.   

Manchester, UK: Greater Manchester Combined Authority, 2024. 210p.