The Mancunian Way: 'Treated like pieces of meat'

Horrific and harrowing stories of women detained by Greater Manchester Police have been published today after an independent inquiry sparked by a series of complaints.

Women interviewed include a domestic abuse victim awaiting a hysterectomy who was left sitting in her own blood in a cell for 16 hours begging for medication and sanitary products. The report also highlighted a number of ‘unlawful’ strip-searches including one done by a glass door in view of the custody desk.

The Baird Inquiry into the experiences of women and girls in GMP custody followed reports highlighted by Sky News that three women accused GMP of unjustified strip-searches after their arrest.

The stories uncovered by the report are shocking. In one, the report describes how Sophie, anonymised in the report, still cries 'when she thinks about her treatment' during her arrest more than two years ago. A teacher, she alerted GMP in 2022 after she was strangled by her then partner, who was arrested and bailed.

But months later, she was arrested at home at 3am for damaging his car wing mirror some 15 months earlier and for assaulting him - by bruising his arms when he tried to strangle her, the report reveals. At the time, she was bleeding heavily and awaiting a hysterotomy.

Sophie told a custody officer at Cheadle Heath police station she was unwell, but there was no toilet roll or sanitary provisions in her cell. She is said to have bled through her clothing in 30 minutes. The woman rang a cell buzzer, but a male officer responded and only after 40 minutes.

"He didn't respond and walked out and shut the door when she indicated her needs," said the report. "It was some time before he came back with a sanitary towel."

The woman, who was soaked with blood