PRESS RELEASE: Incident involving police officer in Buckeye, Arizona

Bristol, UK: The UK National Police Autism Association (NPAA) is today aware of an
incident involving an American Police Officer in Buckeye, Arizona, and an autistic boy.
The video circulating online is distressing to watch and it seems clear the incident stems
from a completely avoidable misunderstanding. While the NPAA cannot comment on
the outcome of any investigation that takes place, it’s obvious that lessons need to be
learned.

NPAA spokesman Adam O’Loughlin commented: “This incident demonstrates the
absolute need for all police services to ensure that their front line officers are sufficiently
trained to recognise the outward traits displayed by many autistic people and to react
appropriately.”

The NPAA works closely with all UK police forces, and we are aware that many frontline
officers have either received autism awareness training or are due to receive training
soon. As a result we are confident that an incident such as this is unlikely to occur in the
UK.