A freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that the government will end police forces from solely recording self-declared gender or gender identity. The Home Office will change how police record the sex of a suspect when a crime is reported. The move was welcomed by women’s groups who said that data can inform future policing. According to the FOI 68559 Terence Stock, the new changes will mean that “in respect to sex and gender, using this approach, we ask the forces to record the sex (of both victims and suspects) based on what was recorded on an individual’s birth certificate or their gender recognition certificate. Separately, we intend to request forces to ask for an individual’s gender identity if it differs from their legal sex status.” To allow time for forces to make necessary changes to systems and processes, the new data standards have been introduced in April on …