23
Sep
2015
By Calvin at 08:27 GMT, 10 years ago
Bedfordshire Police has become the first police force in the country to have signed up to the Autism Charter, a framework which sets out realistic and achievable aspirations for organisations to become more autism aware.
The force’s commitment to becoming more autism aware includes its new partnership with leading charity Autism Anglia. The charity will deliver autism awareness training across the force as part of a wider programme to educate officers about different aspects of the autism spectrum and mental health.
The first training session was delivered last week (17 September) to the force’s Chief Officer Team, and will be rolled out to all officers over the coming months.
Mental Health is a cross-cutting priority for the force as it acknowledges the need for officers and staff to have a better understanding of mental health, being able to recognise conditions and refer people to the appropriate help and support. The force also plans to work with Dementia Friends, a national charity which will deliver training about dementia.
The initiatives support ambitions laid out in the Chief Constable’s Five Year Plan, to work with our diverse communities, understand their needs and tailor services to them.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, who attended the first training session, said: “It is estimated that in the UK autism affects nearly 1 in 100 people. This means over 6,000 people in Bedfordshire are on the autistic spectrum.
“It’s important that we constantly think about how we deliver services to people with diverse needs in our communities. Therefore, it’s vital that we undertake training to better understand autism, and signing up to the Autism Charter shows that we are committed to making our organisation more autism aware.
“The first training session gave a really interesting insight into how people with autism see the world, and our officers will find this training extremely valuable as they continue to protect people, fight crime and keep Bedfordshire safe.”
Alan Bicknell, Autism Anglia’s Director of Operations commented: “People with autism see and experience the world in a different way and possess many skills and strengths. The social and communication difficulties associated with autism mean that there is the potential for those who come into contact with the police to have a really negative experience if their needs are not fully understood and met. Autism Anglia is committed to raising as much awareness of autism as possible across the region and welcome the partnership that is being established with Bedfordshire Police.”
TCPW Comment My wife and I and many of our friends have been supporting Hillingdon Autistic Care and Support for many years and see at first hand the fantastic work achieved by the staff and the people they support. I think this is an excellent initiative by Bedfordshire Police and I hope that all police services follow their example.
Source: Bedfordshire Police http://www.safer-beds.org/rmwebportal/replytomesg.aspx?mesg_id=c90b85e4-4edd-4f8d-a4a4-a4679127dd32&email=-1&web=-1%22
