NEURODIVERGENCE
particularly in professional standards. Fiona has established a number of training products on neurodiversity for forces across England and Wales. The group aims to develop national guidance and training on neurodiversity, particularly within policing and the criminal justice system, to better support neurodivergent individuals. Recently, the group has written to
all heads of professional standards in England and Wales to establish whether people they come across have a neurodiversity condition or not, whether they are the complainants or the subjects of a complaint, do they conduct analysis around those figures and do they offer any training to their staff. The group is also trying to get a mandatory box added on Centurion, one of the largest systems used by forces, so a record must be made as to whether someone is neurodivergent, with the option for people to decline this information.
There are indicators police officers with neurodiversity conditions are more likely to fall foul of either misconduct or underperformance procedures, however, due to the lack of recorded data it makes it impossible to analyse. “Unless we research whether, and if so, why that discrepancy exists in the first place, it becomes difficult to get rid of that discrepancy”, explained Fiona. Fiona emphasised it is not to provide
a “shield” around neurodivergent individuals, making them exempt from the process and outcomes, but it is to make the process fair. “By law, forces have to provide reasonable adjustments under the Equalities Act 2010, and that applies to Professional Standards Departments as well,” she said. “The focus is exploring whether neurodiversity could be a contributing factor to the behaviour, but also to ensure neurodivergent people are given the correct, reasonable adjustments during that professional standards process to make sure they are treated
“It should be about recognising and respecting difference, no matter what form it takes.”
fairly, and they can give a fair account of their behaviour.”
Joining the conversation with POLICE,
Chair of the NPAA John Nelson and its Vice Chair Nick Elton KPM, both outlined the importance of distinguishing between intentional misconduct and actions resulting from neurodivergent tendencies. Misunderstandings often arise from neurodivergent individuals misreading social cues or behaving in ways perceived as inappropriate. Nick, who was a Federation representative between 2010-2017 and received the King’s Police Medal for
his work with neurodivergent people in policing, cited cases involving outdated terminology and masking to try and fit in with a team, only to mistakenly say something unacceptable. Masking is sometimes referred to as ‘camouflaging’, ‘social camouflaging’, ‘compensatory strategies’ and ‘passing’. Research suggests neurodivergent people learn how to mask by observing, analysing and mirroring the behaviours of others – in real life or on TV, in films, books, etc. All discussed an example where Professional Standards Departments need to understand the root cause and intent, involving female colleagues. “It’s fairly well-known neurodivergent females, and particularly autistic females, will socially mask in an effort to
fit in, which causes all sorts of problems long term with mental health and stress,” explained John. “But if they are trying to fit into to an environment that they see as a bit male oriented, a bit macho, they can end up saying the wrong thing.” Fiona added: “They are then still effectively victims of misogyny. They have made that comment because they’ve been pushed into doing that by a male dominated culture.” Fiona also highlighted the importance of considering intersectionality, such as the impact of menopause on neurodivergent women, and the need for tailored support, as
15 | POLICE | APRIL | 2025
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