Suzanne Burke is a Police Constable and a member of the Metropolitan Police Service Autism Support Network – as an autistic officer she has kindly agreed to give a personal insight into her experiences of living with the condition

So, I am autistic – and you are reading this – why? Are you looking to understand what that means? It’s difficult, because I don’t really understand what it means when they tell me, ‘You’re autistic.’ I am autistic – NOT an expert in autism.

When you have autism, everything is harder. The simplest task, like getting up and dressed exhausts me. If I am anxious, I battle with my clothes as I struggle to put them on the right way round. If they don’t ‘feel’ right or they are in the wrong order, it will irritate me all day.

Routine – people with autism need routine. I have to get up and dressed in the morning following the same routine. It is exhausting. So, when I arrive on parade, on time, with all my uniform on, in the right order, the right way round, following all the uniform rules, this is actually a BIG achievement for me. Every day.

Savants – these are people with autism that are highly gifted. I am not a savant and I am not gifted. There are some things that I can do very well and others that completely baffle me. During the 2012 Olympics, I was posted as an Acting Sergeant. To this day, I am still baffled by the team postings. To most, it doesn’t appear difficult. I have often been told, “Post all the drivers driving and all the operators operating.” I just can’t fathom it. I would like to thank all the PCs that supported me during this time, most of whom probably never knew I was autistic. There was never a shortage of response drivers keen on ‘checking’ the postings for me and making a few discreet ‘amendments’ – I am so grateful for these moments and for the kindness and discretion of colleagues.

High-functioning autism – there are currently only 16% of autistic adults in employment. I have what I regard as high-functioning autism, but this doesn’t mean that I am less autistic. What it means is that I have worked hard to develop the necessary strategies to be able to hide my autism long enough to function in the workplace. So please don’t say to me, or anyone else with autism, ‘But I thought you were high functioning.’ That sentence is very offensive as it belittles the challenges that I am facing and tells me that you don’t think that I deserve any further consideration.

Social interaction – I know that I don’t ‘fit’. I don’t fit socially, I don’t understand your jokes or your banter, or your unwritten social rules. The whole social interaction and office culture just confuses me.

Thinking literally – I never understood why people shouted, “You’re welcome” aggressively at me when I crossed a zebra crossing. I am not rude, or self-obsessed or self-absorbed (often said about me) – I am autistic, and to me, the rules of the road state that you have to stop at a zebra crossing. There was nothing in those rules that told me that I had to say ‘thank you’. I just didn’t know. But now I know, I always do, and I have taught my children to do the same.

You offer me a cup of tea – I will always take one, thank you very much. But reciprocating is a terrifying mountain of social interaction, trying to establish how you would like it. So, I avoid it. I opt for the preferable option of the cold shoulders caused often by colleagues thinking the worst of me – maybe that I think I am too good to make the tea? Just a tip – if you would like me to make you a cup of tea, stick a post-it note on your cup with how you like it – easy, no frightening interaction needed.

Over-sensitivity – the more anxious and exhausted I get, the more visual disturbances I have, and then the over-sensitivity to the light and the sounds in the office begin to become too much – it is sometimes quickly resolved, for me by stepping outside into the natural light. I am one of the lucky ones – many people with autism cannot get any respite from the torturous visual and auditory over-sensitivity that plagues us all the time. If you have ever been in a meeting with me, you may notice that I will often turn the lights down – no one has ever objected, which I really appreciate, thank you, because those bright lights after a while really start doing my head in!

Autism Support Group – in our group, there are quite a few officers with autism, dreaming about their ideal job, all with fantastic skills. Some, like me, struggle with application forms and interview boards. So, if you are a boss, and looking for staff, maybe approach our group. Many of us have very rare and valuable skills but little confidence to push ourselves forward.

Finally – if you think by reading this you have learned something about autism, the disappointing thing is that you have only learned something about my autism. If you have met one person with autism, you have only met one person with autism. We are all different and all need different things. Sorry.

So now you know. To anyone that has ever known me in my 18 years in policing – I am autistic. I can’t hide it any longer and I no longer think I should have to.

I have spent my life trying to fit in without much success – but I’m not going to try so hard to fit in anymore, because, like everyone else with autism, I was born to stand out. ∎

This blog was originally published on the MPS intranet – it is reproduced here with kind permission of the author and the MPS Disability Staff Association

Police Federation Rep Kaj Bartlett is raising awareness of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) after a lifelong struggle with the condition which almost destroyed her life

Kathryn ‘Kaj’ Bartlett, an Inspector with Sussex Police, came close to losing her family and career during a particularly difficult time last year – but has since bounced back and is now sharing her story to encourage police forces to learn about ADHD and provide the right support.

Kaj, now an Equality and Diversity Lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), explained she was always a “stereotypical naughty kid” at school, getting into fights and being disruptive in class. “I wasn’t living up to my potential, despite being described as ‘very bright.’ When I said I wanted to join the police my teachers told me to forget it, saying I didn’t have the right temperament – and to be fair they were right.”

The brain of someone with ADHD doesn’t process the ‘reward chemical’ dopamine in the ‘normal’ way. Someone with the condition constantly seeks interactions and activities which secure the dopamine needed. This can lead to increased risk-taking, impulsiveness, violence and even promiscuity. However, people with ADHD can also thrive in environments which fulfil their dopamine need.

“Operational Policing provides this for me – yet I find it impossible to focus and concentrate on routine tasks, such as report writing and project work,” explained Kaj. “Prior to last year, I had no realisation that I was living with this condition or the significant, overwhelming impact it was having on me.”

Innovative thinking
Despite her troubled start, which she used to think was due to her upbringing, Kaj did become a police officer and quickly impressed her superiors with her creative, innovative thinking, operational focus and drive. “Though I would sometimes get pulled up for not following guidance and policy, I could always justify it and was often commended for doing the right thing overall,” she said.

Kaj was promoted to Inspector within seven years, but things started to fall apart when her teenage daughter began to get into trouble at school and was at risk of exclusion. Her daughter was exhibiting the same behavioural traits as Kaj at the same age, yet without the same adverse background influences. A physical confrontation with her daughter found Kaj facing an allegation of assault, investigations for gross misconduct and child abuse. By this time, Kaj had formed the belief that she lived with ADHD after concerns were raised about her behaviour in the workplace, and felt unsupported. She knows her employers were trying their best, but due to a lack of awareness of how ADHD affects an individual, the support given was wholly counter-productive.

There was no action taken in relation to the investigations, yet she was deemed to be a ‘danger to the public and colleagues’ and was switched from operational policing to a largely administrative role, where she descended into a spiral of depression and poor mental health. “There were days when I thought I might resign due to the lack of understanding from my employers,” she said.

Reasonable adjustments
Kaj paid for a comprehensive private psychiatric assessment which diagnosed ADHD; armed with a formal diagnosis and a wealth of researched knowledge about ADHD, she was able to fight her way back to an operational role and secure easy reasonable adjustments which work for her and her force. “Society and policing has made great strides with gender, race and age discrimination, but not so much with disability and particularly hidden disability, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia,” she said. “I went looking for somebody who understood ADHD and policing – there was no-one, so I realised I needed to become that person and to raise that awareness.

“The emergency services offer good careers for people with ADHD who need that ongoing stimulus. They need managers who are understanding and employees who know themselves enough to be able to say ‘yes I can do this – I might need extra help doing that’.”

Through Access to Work, Kaj secured coaching on coping mechanisms for her ADHD and says she can prove how chief constables can save themselves a lot of money in lost staff and sick days by a more progressive approach to neurodiversity.

Zac Mader is a PFEW Board member who chairs the Police Association Strategic Leads (PASL) group, which brings together police support groups and the Federation. He welcomes efforts to raise awareness of the effects of ADHD. “It is essential we are better able to understand ADHD and how it affects our members, as only then can we provide the support and understanding that is required to make a difference to our colleagues,” he said. “I am really grateful to Kaj for her bravery and honesty in sharing her story, and for her part in the ongoing work to ensure that ADHD and other conditions do not hold officers back from achieving their full potential.”

John Nelson, Chair of the National Police Autism Association, added: “Officers and staff with ADHD, autism and other neurodivergent conditions process information differently compared to the majority of the population – they often excel at particular disciplines but can struggle in certain roles and environments.

“The private sector has realised the benefits of matching neurodiverse staff to roles for which they are suited, and the police service should do likewise; our ‘one size fits all’ culture is outdated and doesn’t tap into the potential of our most valuable resource.” ∎

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2019 edition of “Police” magazine published by the Police Federation of England & Wales

Essex Police T/Inspector Ben Forbes talks about his challenges and achievements as a dyslexic officer

I would like to open this blog by saying it is my hope and aim that this snippet of my personal journey will help share some unique insights into the challenges, positives and key people who have supported me throughout this experience.

A little bit about me: I was born and raised in East London as an only child. Throughout early years, I didn’t engage with learning as I struggled with the concept of learning altogether. It didn’t matter what support my family or teachers would implement for me – I would disengage, I struggled with the traditional learning methods and this led me to go down the deviance route (a term I now fully understand and appreciate).

My mother fought – and I mean fought – with my school and the local authority to get me assessed to identify if I had a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD). As a deprived working class woman herself, she had no education but she just knew I had something hidden that was preventing me from reaching my full potential.

It was only when I hit Year Nine in secondary school that I was placed in an ‘alternative education programme’, which saw me leave the classroom environment and work in a watersports centre at the Royal Victoria Dock Watersport Centre. I swiftly worked my way up and become a national senior coach in kayak and canoeing, and passing my national assessors’ qualification in powerboating. This was my passion, the purpose I was ever striving to find, and this was my teachable moment that moved me from my deviance path onto a successful, respectful career pathway.

Joining policing
Fast forward eight years and I had joined the Metropolitan Police after two attempts at their National Assessment Centre. At this point, I still had not had any assessment or indication that I had a SpLD, so the first time I failed was due to my English and maths exercises.

I underwent my dedicated initial recruit training at Hendon and subsequently at Bethnal Green regional centre and passed with flying colours on every assessment. I was nominated for best student and came a very close second, the notion of being nominated meant more than the actual award for me!

Four years later, I am a member of Trident in Specialist Operations & Crime Command. I really wanted to branch out to develop myself further as a specialist to holistically understand the complexities around young people and gang association, with a clear ambition to understand what works, what has been done and what is missing to effectively divert, prevent and tackle gang crime as a whole.

I had the resources in Trident to work with some of the best leaders on gang diversion, Jack Rowlands being my manager at the time, now a Chief Inspector in London’s Violence Reduction unit. Jack was not just a boss to me, he was an inspiration, someone who had an idea many years ago and worked to overcome barriers, preconceptions or issues in general of bringing change into policing and succeeded. This programme was Divert, the best custody diversion programme I honestly have ever come across, but that will be for another blog!

The hook: Canterbury Centre for Policing Research Conference
We now enter 2017 and as a fan of engaging on Twitter to better improve our relations with both community groups and professionals, I saw a tweet from Dr Emma Williams who worked at Canterbury Christ Church University, it was titled Evidence Mission Impossible Conference. This interested me and I looked into the promotion of this conference further and then noticed a close friend, mentor and fantastic police leader, then Superintendent Paul Clements, had signed up and put a call for police officers to attend if available to help with their development.

I knew Paul as he was a current MPS Superintendent and I had worked for him on some new and exciting gang prevention and diversion work in Waltham Forest at the time. I remember saying to myself ‘Really? You haven’t even done a GCSE‘, however thanks to some motivational discussions with Paul, I took the leap, signed up and it was the best decision I ever took. For brevity – I attended, was inspired, was supported by guest speakers across policing and academic and as soon as I got home, I wanted to sign up to the in-service policing degree run by Canterbury Christ Church University!

My university journey
The first challenge was finding financial support to undergo this ambition of mine, which was to overcome the barrier of formal education and to achieve something I was never given the opportunity to do at a younger age, an educational qualification.

The timing was just right, and the College of Policing Bursary had just opened. I did not know how to apply for a bursary really as this was not something I had experience with before, so I went with what I knew, spoke from the heart and explained in my own words why I wanted to do this and what I would do if successful. To my sheer amazement, I was awarded funding for this course which I can’t describe the emotions that went through me when I found out. No words will explain how grateful I am for the College of Policing but also the volunteer bursary assessors across policing and academia who read my application and believed in me.

Fast forward a year and I arrived in Canterbury. What a steep learning curve it was travelling home with the information on what was expected from me now I was a university student! I went home motivated but extremely anxious, worried with a general feeling of being overwhelmed. I remember speaking to my incredible Programme Director at the time, Jenny Norman, and she openly asked about my history with education and asked if I had ever been assessed for possible SpLD. I said no due to the sheer cost of around £450-£600 and she mentioned the university offered a support programme funding 70% of the cost of the assessment. I found this amazing and thanks to that support, I was formally diagnosed with dyslexia, a life changing diagnosis for me!

Jenny swiftly celebrated this diagnosis with me and it will stay with me forever. I remember being told, walking into the weekend programme all drained, and Jenny just gave me a big cuddle and said ‘This will be a lifeline for you now Ben, well bloody done for taking the leap’. After a few weeks, Jenny implemented a specific learning plan and adjustments for me and three years later (this year!), I formally graduated with a First-Class BSc in Policing (Hons) – wow!

Key reflections
I would like to round this blog up by providing you with my personal key challenges and the key reflections on what helped me overcome them, which in my humble view, should be reviewed by every leader in policing to support those with a Specific Learning Difficulty:

• Due to my lack of education, and this can be applied to any situation which has resulted in those not being academically experienced (age, lack of opportunity, disability etc…), I was not familiar with what I call ‘academic speech’. The thus, therefore, references and critical analysis. I had to learn and adjust how I wrote in essays and how I presented my work through the numerous exercises.
• Academia and Policing need to both understand our barriers, challenges and possible differences, whilst recognising that there are no right or wrongs and in order to be effective and grow as a profession, we both need each other.
• Time management is my second challenge. I was studying and was mid-way through my degree with a lively family (new born baby), I was also studying for promotion exams, going through the promotion processes, all whilst transferring from the MPS to Essex Police.  So I struggled to find time for everything. Added to this, my dyslexia meant I had to plan well in advance and needed additional time in almost everything due to my study plans.

I went from one force with a good study leave policy to one which unfortunately did not have one. This meant that I had additional stresses, but thanks to being open, speaking to Jenny (Programme Director) and refocusing, I was able to manage this well within time. My plea for the College and certainly Chief Officers is to value external professional development and enable those officers/staff to harness that by suitable study leave policies.

I started writing this piece as a ‘micro-blog’ which then developed into a full blog! However I hope it encourages anyone who has concerns, doubts, worries or interests about engaging in academia.  This should give some hope that it is inclusive.  It will help you grow both in respects of your operational expertise as well as allowing you to grow and develop academically.

Believe in yourself and support others. ∎

This blog was originally written for the College of Policing Academic Support Network – it is reproduced here with kind permission of the author