Equality, diversity, and inclusion were on the agenda at the recent Civil Nuclear Police Federation conference. This is an important area of the Federation’s work; the more we know and understand about people’s experiences, the more effectively we can support and represent our colleagues.
One of the guests we invited to address our delegates was Nick Hawe, who spoke about his experiences of being neurodivergent. We were also joined by Binder Bansel, from our legal advisors, Penningtons Manches Cooper, who gave guidance on matters including reasonable adjustments and the nuances of the Equality Act.
Nick Hawe on neurodiversity
Nick is a former police officer who is now a neurodiversity consultant and trainer with Creased Puddle. During Nick’s 30+ year career with North Wales Police, he dealt with people from all backgrounds and was driven by the desire to help in times of need and to treat everybody fairly. This ultimately influenced his decision to become a Fed Rep for the last 12 years of his service.
Nick joined us to speak about his experience of autism. He began by discussing the terminology of neurodiversity, which, put simply, is about the brain. The forty brains in the room at the conference might look similar, he explained, but each one is unique. This is the starting point for understanding neurodiversity.
Performance at work
Speaking about the police service, Nick said that it expects many things from its people, from timekeeping to seeing the fine details, being organised and thinking creatively. Indeed, the Federation may end up representing people who have fallen below the standards expected of a police officer.
However, Nick explained that no one is going to excel at everything. A neurotypical person might perform pretty evenly across several tasks or skills. For neurodivergent people, the profile might look more up-and-down or ‘spiky’. They will excel in some areas but find other tasks extremely difficult.
Nick described how autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, and dyslexia are all within the spectrum of neurodiversity, and a common theme is impairment of executive function. The development of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for things like organising, planning and emotional regulation, may be delayed or may not fully develop in neurodivergent people.
A double diagnosis
Nick then went on to speak very candidly about his own life experiences. When his eldest son, Owen, was three or four, Nick noticed he didn’t make much eye contact and appeared to find it difficult to concentrate. If Nick spoke to him about his day at school, he would notice Owen couldn’t look at him while answering. Nick now knows this has to do with executive function – a processing issue. He and his wife also noticed what they thought were tantrums but realised their son wasn’t a ‘naughty child acting out’ but was experiencing meltdowns.
Owen was diagnosed as autistic in 2012 when he was ten years old. Nick describes the process as being very long and culminated in a conversation where a doctor said, “You might want to sit down”, as though they were going to impart bad news. However, Nick said the diagnosis gave him and his wife some answers and something to focus on.
Six months before his retirement from the police service in 2022, Nick attended a neurodiversity course and recognised in himself just about everything they were talking about. He paid for an assessment, and by April 2022, he had been diagnosed as autistic and ADHD. He wasn’t surprised about autism, given his experiences with his son, although the ADHD diagnosis wasn’t something Nick was expecting. However, when the doctor explained Nick had the inattentive variety of ADHD, it felt very familiar.
Returning to neurodiversity in policing, Nick described the benefits of having neurodivergent people in our force or department who bring different skills and perspectives to the team.
Support at work
Answering questions from Reps about the sort of support he could have benefited from had his diagnosis arrived earlier in his career. Nick told the conference that his DS and DI knew he was going for an assessment. He shared the report with them, and they asked what they could put in place to support him, which Nick describes as the perfect response.
In Nick’s current role, he uses noise-cancelling earphones to help him concentrate and has a sit-stand desk. These sorts of adjustments can make a significant difference.
Finally, Nick was asked how he might have reacted earlier in his career if someone had suggested he was neurodivergent. Nick advised against being direct. He told us: “For example, ‘I’ve been having a look at a few things, and I think you might be autistic’ is absolutely not the right approach”. He pointed delegates towards Creased Puddle, whose courses offer conversation starters that can be helpful.
Binder Bansel on the role of Fed Reps
Our final speaker was employment lawyer Binder Bansel who has spent 30 years acting for Federations, staff associations, and trade unions. “I like to think that in 30 years, I have made things better for police officers, but there is still a lot of work to do,” Binder told the conference.
He highlighted, however, that change takes time and requires an environment that embraces change. In his view, the rank structure does not always lend itself to being challenged or to recognising better ways of doing things. Binder also highlighted that cultural issues in the police service might be a point of tension when dealing with EDI issues.
Advice for Reps
His message was that Fed Reps must be empowered to understand members' rights and obligations. Binder explained that disability legislation wasn’t enacted for the police service for nine years after it was introduced, but the Disability Discrimination Act is the biggest area where he sees challenges.
This can be how the service accommodates members' physical and mental conditions. Binder expressed a view that neurodiversity is a huge area and policing is slightly out of step, citing the case of AFO Lauren Crawford from Cumbria Police.
Binder concluded by explaining that the police service should represent the community it serves, and legislation allows that. He told assembled reps, “You will be at the forefront of ensuring the police service moves in the right direction. The more you can do that, the greater the trust in you. The more we learn, the more empowered we are, and the more empowered we are, the better we are to deal with and understand the issues.”
