Ordered to remove her bra

Photo: Contributed

Police in an Ontario community are reviewing their policy of requiring women to remove their bras while in custody after coming under fire from a judge who admonished the force for the practice.

Chatham-Kent Police Chief Gary Conn says the policy is in place to prevent certain types of clothing being used as ligatures for self-harm or strangulation.

The policy was targeted by a judge last week who tossed out an impaired driving case against a Chatham, Ont., woman who had to remove her bra before a breathalyzer test while in custody.

Conn says a quick provincial review has shown that other forces in Ontario appear to assess the removal of a bra for someone in custody on a case-by-case basis, which is why his force is now looking at its own practice.

Conn also notes, however, that the force's policies around searching people in custody was approved by a Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services audit in 2011.

But a spokesman for the ministry says the policy that was audited did not specify the removal of a specific type of clothing, including undergarments.

A number of other police forces, including those in Toronto, Halifax and Calgary, do not require all women in custody to remove their bras unless there is a case-specific safety concern.

Police in Vancouver, however, ask anyone arrested who is wearing a bra to remove the undergarment, citing safety concerns for the person and anyone else who is in custody.