Written by When a young autistic man in Bristol was shot with a police stun gun and charged with assaulting an officer, it looked like a textbook case – until CCTV footage emerged that told a different story . The charges collapsed, and the police watchdog criticised officers for hiding the video and urged disability-awareness training . This alarming incident is not isolated. Across the UK, systemic police corruption and misconduct are disproportionately harming neurodivergent individuals – those with autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and other cognitive differences – who find themselves misinterpreted or mistreated by the very authorities meant to protect them.
An Unsafe Police Culture
The backdrop to these cases is a policing culture marred by misconduct. A damning 2022 inspection found officers with criminal records or links to organised crime had “slipped through the vetting net” and joined police ranks . The same report concluded that “a culture of misogyny, sexism, [and] predatory behaviour… was prevalent in many – if not all – forces” . In London alone, investigations are under way into roughly 800 Met Police officers over 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims . Such corruption and abuse within police forces create a toxic environment for any citizen; for neurodivergent people, the dangers are even greater.
Officers untrained in neurodiversity may mistake a person’s disability-related behaviors – such as an autistic individual avoiding eye contact or an ADHD individual’s fidgeting – as suspicious or defiant. In the worst cases, corrupted officers exploit that vulnerability. The Bristol taser case is a stark example: police claimed the autistic man “pushed” an officer, justifying force, when in fact the video proved he hadn’t . “If [my son] had been found guilty on the basis of their evidence, he would have been sent to prison,” the man’s mother said, outraged at how close an innocent disabled person came to incarceration .
Neurodivergent Victims of Misconduct
Sadly, many neurodivergent people have suffered wrongful arrests, excessive force, or neglect in custody. Disability advocates recount “numerous stories [of] neurodivergent people being wrongfully arrested, assaulted, or even killed in custody” over the years . Without proper training, officers can misread autistic distress as aggression or ignore an epileptic episode as non-compliance. In 2018, a Hertfordshire teenager with autism was restrained face-down by police during a meltdown; he later described the experience as terrifying and unnecessary. In other cases, individuals with learning disabilities have been questioned without an appropriate adult or medical help, leading to false confessions or escalated encounters. The pattern is clear: lack of understanding, compounded by abusive policing practices, produces injustice.
Neurodivergent people are further put at risk by police who put self-protection above public service. Whistleblowers from within forces have exposed officers falsifying statements to cover up misconduct, as in the Bristol case. In other instances, families of autistic individuals who died in police custody have struggled to get the truth amid internal stonewalling. Each example deepens the mistrust. “If police forces harbour dangerous individuals and ignore disability awareness, the outcome is a double injustice,” warns the Cease and Desist disability rights campaign – “those meant to protect instead inflict harm, and victims with neurological differences are further marginalised.”
Demanding Accountability and Reform
Turning this tide will require systemic reform in policing. Advocates call for mandatory neurodiversity training for all officers – so that an autistic person rocking or a deaf person’s lack of verbal response isn’t misinterpreted as suspicious. Police leadership must also root out abusive officers more aggressively: the vetting failures identified in 2022 show urgent improvement is needed . Every officer facing credible misconduct allegations – including those involving excessive force or prejudice against disabled people – should be suspended and investigated, not left in post. Crucially, transparency is key. Campaigners urge that incidents involving neurodivergent individuals be reviewed by independent watchdogs to ensure corruption or bias is exposed. Body-camera footage and station CCTV must be preserved and disclosed, so cases like the Bristol taser cover-up cannot happen again.
The government has acknowledged the problem in part. Following public outrage over high-profile police abuses, inquiries into police culture are under way. Some forces have introduced autism liaison officers or mental health training modules. But disability advocates say these steps are fragmented and insufficient. Without strong accountability – criminal prosecutions of officers who abuse their power, and leadership that truly prioritises vulnerable people’s safety – neurodivergent Brits will remain fearful of calling the police even when they’re in need.
For now, people like the Bristol mother cling to the hope that shining a light on these failures will spur change. Her son’s case prompted an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation and disability-awareness lessons for the officers involved . It’s a start. Trust, however, will take much longer to rebuild. As families of neurodivergent victims demand, British policing must prove – through actions, not words – that it can dispense justice fairly to all citizens. Until then, the very citizens who most need protection will continue to feel unprotected and unsafe.
Sources: Police vetting failures have allowed ‘predatory’ officers to join up, watchdog finds ; Bristol man with autism shot by police with stun gun