‘Providing the best service we can’

In this article commissioned by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, NPAA Chair John Nelson looks at how police officers can recognise autistic and neurodivergent traits and respond effectively to incidents involving autistic people

The train has arrived, but there’s a problem – the doors stay locked. An announcement says there’s a signalling fault. Passengers pace up and down the platform, checking watches and phones – another day, another delay. All except for one man, who keeps trying to open the doors and banging on the glass. A member of staff notices and asks him to step back on to the platform; the man ignores him, becoming increasingly flustered and repeating that he must get on the train.

More staff arrive – someone takes the man’s arm, and he pushes back – all he can think about is keeping to his routine and getting to his destination on time. Staff radio the control room, and a 999 call is made: “Aggressive male, staff assaulted – police needed.” A response unit is soon dispatched, and officers are already mentally preparing for a likely arrest. But they are missing one vital piece of information, which could make all the difference to how the incident plays out: the passenger is autistic.

Understanding of autism, as a form of neurodiversity (ND) – the concept of the human population thinking and seeing the world in different ways – has increased enormously in the last few years. Autism broadly affects how a person communicates socially, their sensitivity to sensory stimuli such as noise and touch, and their range of interests and behaviour, which can be highly focused. Along with other ND conditions such as ADHD and dyslexia, autism is found in all walks of life and affects everyone differently.

The scenario above – the subject of a short film* commissioned by the National Autistic Society – is a typical incident that police officers may be asked to attend. As an autistic police sergeant, diagnosed with the condition after eight years’ service, I understand the day-to-day difficulties that autistic people face, and the situations that can lead them to come into contact with the police service and occasionally fall foul of the law. In 2015, I founded the National Police Autism Association, a staff support network for autistic and ND police colleagues. As well as providing support to our members, our Association champions good practice for colleagues working with the autistic community, and raises awareness via our website and social medial channels.

Dealing with an incident involving an autistic person in distress can be uniquely challenging for police officers. It’s commonly known that autistic people may avoid eye contact – traditionally (and wrongly) assumed to indicate a lack of honesty or criminal intent. However, an autistic individual may react to a police presence in other ways:

  • Ignoring officers, refusing to answer questions or becoming mute
  • Anxiety
  • Running from or attempting to avoid officers
  • Becoming verbally aggressive or abusive
  • Experiencing a ‘meltdown’ – a condition caused by over-exposure to sensory stimuli which can present as a person involuntarily losing control – shouting, screaming, lashing out and self-harming

Officers may find it additionally challenging to engage with an autistic person if the individual has had a bad experience with the police in the past.

In order to respond appropriately, officers need to know that autism is, or may be, a factor. This information is not always volunteered, so we encourage colleagues to maintain awareness of a person’s behaviour being unusual or out of proportion to the situation. Officers should not be afraid to ask a person if they are autistic, or have any other conditions that police should be aware of.

Some basic do’s and don’t’s include:

  • Don’t crowd the person – give them space and guide them to a quiet place if possible
  • Speak calmly and slowly, one person at a time
  • Give simple unambiguous instructions
  • Only use physical restraint (including handcuffs) and the power of arrest as a last resort – consider dealing with offences out of custody wherever possible
  • If an arrest is necessary, ensure the Custody Sergeant is aware of the detainee’s autism and that provision of an Appropriate Adult is considered

An autistic person may choose to carry an autism alert card or ‘passport’. This is a card or foldable document that states that the holder is autistic and contains other vital information for first responders, such as a particular sensitivity to touch. Most police forces have developed their own card schemes, or support schemes run by local autism groups – click on the link above for details. Additionally nationally-recognised cards and lanyards can be obtained from the National Autistic Society and other providers.

The National Autistic Society has produced a comprehensive guide for police officers and staff coming into contact with autistic people. This guide features the advice listed above and further resources for dealing with autistic detainees in police custody. The NAS has also produced several educational videos available on YouTube, including the film featured in this article.

Other examples of good practice include:

All police forces provide autism awareness training to officers, although this varies in format and depth. An example of best practice we’d like to highlight is Devon & Cornwall Police, which includes scenarios involving autism and ND as part of officers’ regular personal safety training.

For more information, we encourage colleagues to join our network – it’s free and open to everyone in the police service. (We also offer associate membership – click on the link for details.) ∎

*The film was released in 2009 and uses person-first phrasing in the captions – it is since recognised that many autistic people prefer identity-first language

An edited version of this article is featured in Issue 47 (May 2026) of the IOPC Learning The Lessons magazine

“I always felt different growing up”

Durham Constabulary Inspector Adam Norris reflects on how his neurodivergent identity has shaped his career in policing

When arguing that policing should not just merely include neurodivergent officers – but actively draw upon their strengths – Durham Police Federation branch member Adam Norris can point towards his own career as clear evidence of the advantages.

And to help mark World Autism Awareness Day, this is exactly what he has done, discussing his experiences to help spread a message of acceptance and empowerment among his colleagues in Durham Constabulary.

In a life lived with autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Adam says his decision to join the Force at the age of 22 felt momentous – but it came long before he fully understood what neurodivergence actually was.

Instead, he simply knew something was different about the way his mind worked, without being able to put a definitive finger on what it might be.

“I always felt different growing up, like I was a bit of an outsider. That continued into much of my adult life, for years to come after I first became a PCSO and later a PC,” Adam said.

“I had an understanding of my traits and tendencies, such as hyperfocus, pattern recognition and sensitivity to justice – a big factor in why I wanted to go into policing in the first place – but beyond that, I didn’t know what I was living with.”

While this perspective on himself has changed in recent times, Adam revealed that for a portion of his policing service, he has been faced with difficult moments stemming from misunderstandings, the frustrations of others and even discrimination.

Equally, though, he hasn’t let this adversity stop him from achieving in the police and becoming a champion for diversity and equality in the process.

Across periods spent in response, custody, offender management and the control room, he has remained geared towards efficiency, which has been behind some of his proudest accomplishments in the Force.

“That’s another key trait of mine which has always been there,” added Adam, who currently works across both a response investigation team and a prisoner handling team.

“I’ve always been known as a proactive officer, trying to find ways to make our output quicker and more effective. Back when I was a sergeant involved in a shoplifting project, I had the idea of asking the tech company we were working with to develop a remote statement taker, meaning officers could get a statement with a digital signature from anywhere in the world.

“As a Force, it’s quite possible that Durham was the first in the country to use this technology, and we’ve used it to get statements from victims and witnesses from as far away as Australia and Singapore.

“Under my leadership as a response Inspector, my team was recognised for our work disrupting organised crime groups. In that one, I think I was helped and motivated by my intolerance for unfairness and deep need to seek justice.”

Thanks to strong levels of empathy, Adam has ensured the impact of his innovative policing style does not end with his colleagues.

The 42-year-old has also been responsible for the creation of a still-active scrutiny panel within Durham Constabulary’s custody suite, which aims to ensure proportionate uses of force are applied across detainees of all social groups.

Recently, he has zoomed into the care of neurodivergent detainees by acting as a tactical advisor to a working group focused on the treatment of such individuals during their time in custody – mainly by ensuring officers are upskilled with the cultural competence to recognise where this may be necessary.

“Having an awareness is what it all comes down to, really. I didn’t completely have that myself until my own diagnosis in 2024, which validated me as a person and made everything make sense, going back to when I was a child.

“Even before that, however, I was at least considerate of it, which wasn’t always been afforded to me in return at work. It is said that neurodivergent people will average roughly 20,000 more negative interactions than neurotypical people before they even reach adulthood, and in my experience, that certainly wasn’t the end point.

“We can be sensitive to rejection and appear rude when we may just be hyperfocused.”

Additionally, Adam says he has, on occasion, been put under limits, doubted and questioned over his suitability for a role or task.

And if this is happening to other officers in his position, he says this is what pains him the most, because it means his profession misses out on the full talents of its workforce.

“Reasonable adjustments should be advocated, but I think the ultimate aim should be to improve workplace environments so fewer reasonable adjustments need to exist – and this doesn’t just go for policing.

“For me, part of that is not just accommodating us, but taking advantage of our unique strengths and capabilities.

“Despite my struggles, I’ve still been lucky enough to have had those opportunities at times, but it’s not the same for everyone.

“If you feel like this is you, you should just be yourself and not ‘mask’ to appease others – the more people who are openly neurodivergent in the police service, the more we can normalise what is essentially a natural variation in how the mind works and remove the stigma.” ∎

This blog was originally published on the Durham Police Federation website – it is reproduced here with kind permission of the author

Neurodivergence and child‑to‑parent violence

by Sarah Whitehead
Neurodiversity Lead | Northamptonshire Police

As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, I would like to focus on and draw attention to the taboo subject of child-to-parent violence and abuse (CPVA) and the link to neurodivergent dysregulation.

CPVA encompasses a broad range of behaviours displayed by young people under the age of 18 years old towards their parents and/or caregivers. This behaviour may continue into adulthood.

It is important to distinguish between behaviours that are a direct result of the nervous system overload and that of intentional violence and coercive control.

The invisible load of parenting a neurodivergent child is real and can be extremely stressful. Neurodiversity rarely exists in isolation, and consequently many employees up and down the country are doing their best to navigate employment whilst managing inadequate school systems, healthcare pathways and being advocates for children and/or relatives, often alongside their own neurodivergent profiles; and with little to no external support.

The ‘family load’ fluctuates. Some weeks it is manageable; other weeks it is overwhelming. Traditional workplace models struggle with this reality, particularly when children are older and ‘should be trusted to be able to stay home alone by now’. Negative stereotypes are not at all helpful. Being called into school or to home at the last minute, or attending appointments that have taken two years to arrive is commonplace when parenting neurodivergent children. It is both overwhelming and exhausting, yet the world still turns, and the bills still need paying. Advocacy does not stop when a child turns 18 years old.

Neurodivergent children show a higher prevalence of CPVA, and often conflict arises where adults struggle to distinguish whether violent episodes are directly related to a nervous system overload, mental health challenges, or ‘typical’ teenage behaviour.

Research from King’s College London (2025) on 735 adolescents found:

  • Autistic and ADHD adolescents experienced twice the emotional burden from common school stressors compared to neurotypical peers
  • They reported more intense emotional reactions and higher frequency of distressing events
  • Emotional burden was directly linked to dysregulation, which can drive escalated behaviours at home, including aggression

Although not exclusively neurodivergent statistics, these figures contextualise the scale of CPVA where neurodivergence is frequently cited by families as a factor:

  • 40% of families affected by CPVA do not report it, according to research by London’s Violence Reduction Unit
  • In police domestic abuse incidents, involving suspects under 18 years of age, 64-67% involved CPVA
  • Youth offending caseloads show a 21-27% prevalence of CPVA

According to the Michael Sieff Foundation (2025) review:

  • 80% of cautioned or sentenced children in youth justice have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and/or neurodivergence
  • Neurodivergent children enter custody earlier, are more frequently excluded, and receive longer sentences
  • Professionals report significant challenges managing behaviour linked to communication difficulties, emotional dysregulation, and unmet neurodevelopmental needs

A 2025 Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire focus group found:

  • Amongst parents experiencing CPVA, over half were caring for neurodivergent children (autism/ADHD)
  • Families described patterns of meltdowns, shutdowns, and distress behaviours escalating into violence

Neurodiversity Support UK reports that conditions such as ADHD, autism and pathological demand avoidance (PDA) frequently involve:

  • Rapid emotional escalation
  • Intense reactions
  • Loss of behavioural control when overwhelmed

Employers who design predictable flexibility, rather than ad hoc exceptions are better placed to retain skilled staff and prevent their burnout. Employers who understand the connection between neurodivergent conditions and CPVA make life much more manageable for those parents trying to navigate difficulties.

We have put together an A-Z guide which details elements of CPVA, alongside some practical support tips for parents and for operational staff who may happen across incidents involving members of the public.

More information on CPVA and links to external support services can be found on the following websites:

This blog was originally published on the Northamptonshire Police intranet – it is reproduced here with kind permission of the author