The Police Ombudsman has recommended that police officers receive an enhancement to their training to improve how they respond to members of the public who are autistic and may have individual communication needs.
The recommendation follows the completion of an investigation into an incident in December 2024 when a young autistic woman was physically removed from a shop by four police officers and her father.
The young woman’s mother subsequently made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman, which centred on whether the officers complied with their training in respect of autism, and the effectiveness of the training they had received.
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The investigation identified no misconduct by the police officers involved, however, Nikki Davis, Director of Investigations with the Police Ombudsman’s Office, said the incident was ‘undoubtedly distressing’ and emphasised the need for enhanced training.
When the young woman entered a shop in Lisburn through half-closed shutters, the shop’s tills were no longer operational and she was unable to buy a DVD. Shop staff asked the woman, and her mother, to leave.
When the young woman, who is non-verbal, would not leave the shop, the situation escalated and the police were called.
Body worn video shows that the first two police officers to arrive discussed the situation with the young woman’s parents, made it clear that she needed to leave as the shop was closed, and that their preference was for her parents to remove her.
Her father first encouraged his daughter to leave, and then tried to move her physically. When this was unsuccessful, officers discussed the most appropriate course of action.
They became physically involved only after the young woman’s father continued to experience difficulties managing on his own and, during one attempt to escort the young woman outside, one officer was injured.
Repeated efforts were made and ultimately, when a further two police officers arrived at the shop, the four officers and the young woman’s father, carried her out of the shop.
“What happened during this incident was undoubtedly distressing for this young woman and her parents, and footage of her being carried out of the shop by police and her father was the subject of significant public commentary.
“However, when reviewed in its entirety, the body worn video, which included audio, together with CCTV footage, showed that the police officers who responded to the incident understood that the best approach was for her parents to encourage her to leave the shop.
“When those efforts were unsuccessful, and their own attempts to escort the young woman from the shop also failed, the officers, along with her father, physically removed her.
“The police officers recognised from the outset that there was no simple solution and their action was a last resort in an incident which lasted for around 18 minutes from police entering the shop to leaving.
“While the officers did not breach the PSNI code of ethics, the situation exposed a gap in current PSNI training and led directly to the recommendation that police officers should receive enhanced training which equips them to engage with, and respond to, any autistic person, but especially a person who speaks few or no words and may communicate in other ways”.
The Police Ombudsman obtained relevant police documentation in respect of the incident, reviewed all body worn video, secured and examined CCTV from inside and outside the shop, and also took witness statements, including from the young woman’s parents.
