INCLUSIVE POLICING
no support at all for autism, or other neurodiverse conditions, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia,” said John. “There was a massive lack of knowledge around it – and a fair amount of prejudice as well.” John first joined Hampshire
Constabulary in 2004, thriving in a neighbourhood role, and soon he was put forward to promotion as a result of his early success. He passed all his exams with flying
colours, but what happened next was ‘disastrous’ for his career. “All fell apart when I got through
to board and didn’t pass – I did two in succession. I was struggling to come across in a way they expected me to,” he explained. “Things got worse when I disclosed my diagnosis because I think I then got stuck with the label of someone who wasn’t as capable as other people” John recalled. “After that I found it very hard to get put forward for promotion at all.” “Looking at
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...it is vital we have people who think a bit differently and come up with really original answers to [these] problems.”
feedback from other members, this is a typical story and one we get endless complaints about. The promotion process in an outdated model that just doesn’t work for neurodivergent officers, and many talented and committed people who could make a real, positive difference to policing are rejected as a result.” The association is working with the College of Policing to introduce national best practice so the selection process becomes neurodivergent friendly. It maintains a web forum where members can discuss work and personal issues, and post anonymously if they wish to get support. That support is at the heart of everything the NPAA does. But, unfortunately, support is incredibly patchy when it comes to forces and workplace adjustments. Last year, a discovery report published by the college found “worrying” levels of inconsistency and poorly resourced networks. John added there are variations between line managers on how well they understand and accept neurodiversity. “How successful your career seems
to be based on how well you can fit into the policies and culture – but we’re all individuals, and some of us can only perform at our best in a particular type of role or working environment,” he continued. “Working in noisy, open plan offices
National Police Autism Association (NPAA) Chair John Nelson
can be a real problem for some people, for example, something as simple as posting them in a quieter station can make a huge difference – but individual adjustments are not very well understood or accepted at the moment.” We have always said as a Federation that retention is just as important as recruitment, and, if we don’t look after our workforce, we will ultimately lose people with experience and talent. John made it clear how important it
is to have more neurodivergent officers in the service: “Given we are under increasing pressure to do more with less
resources and look at some of the thorny problems around cybercrime and cyber terrorism, it is vital we have people who think a bit differently and come up with really original answers to these problems. “Yes, forces are doing it right when it
comes to recruitment, but we urgently need to work on what happens when they are actually in the job.” John agrees we have gradually seen change, such as the college creating a separate working group devoted to neurodiversity, which is a step in the right direction. But, as with many things, there is still a long way to go.
33 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2022
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