Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on the development of policing best practice in responding to the needs of neurodiverse people.

The College of Policing is responsible for setting the relevant professional standards, guidance and training on operational policing matters. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.

The NPCC have established a National Neurodiversity Working Group whose work includes supporting police forces to design and deliver an effective service for neurodivergent victims, witnesses, suspects, and residents.

Police powers of entry under PACE must be exercised proportionally, meaning the level of intrusion should be necessary and justified in the circumstances, and where there are vulnerable people, the powers must be balanced to ensure public safety and the rights of individuals. Police forces, including the Met use a Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) to identify vulnerability and ensure an appropriate response.