NEURODIVERGENCE


MISCONDUCT VS MISUNDERSTANDING


With thousands of police officers and staff being neurodivergent, POLICE looks at the challenges faced on conduct and performance matters and what more must be done secure fair outcomes for colleagues


It is estimated 1 in 7 people in the UK are neurodivergent. In real terms, that is between 10 million and 13.5 million people, emphasising why it is so crucial for workplaces to be understanding and inclusive – the police service being no exception.


There are multiple areas within policing where greater understanding and support is needed when it comes to neurodiversity, such as professional development with promotions, but the conduct and performance strand has been overlooked for quite some time. The Police Federation of England


and Wales (PFEW) is playing its part along with other staff associations like the National Police Autism Association (NPAA), representing its members who


14 | POLICE | APRIL | 2025


unfortunately find themselves potentially facing misconduct hearings. Last year, PFEW conduct and


performance liaison officers (CAPLOs), took up an awareness session held by the NPAA, highlighting the benefits of working together and sharing good practice.


being the conduct and performance lead with Mel Warnes, we need consistency from forces.”


“I realised there was very little by means of training. There’s a huge discrepancy between forces in what they have available.”


However, at force level, training is inconsistent across England and Wales. PFEW Conduct and Performance Lead Phil Jones stated: “From my point of view,


Echoing this view, Detective Chief Inspector Fiona Van Kampen, Metropolitan Police Service, who was diagnosed as autistic seven and a half years ago, said: “I realised there was very little by means of training. There’s a huge discrepancy between forces in what they have available. What I find when speaking to forces is there’s often a lot of willingness to get it right - it’s just people don’t know how.”


Identifying the gaps, she now leads a working strand of the NPCC Neurodiversity Working Group, chaired by ACC Matt Welsted. The strand specialises


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