I was recently arrested by the police,i told them I was autistic and they said "welllll I can't see anything on your medical records" I asked them to phone the local hospital i was diagnosed at and they said "they'll be nobody there we can't ring around" now would this be discrimination or not? or something else I'm just so confused and need answers they were just very reluctant to acknowledge my Autism
In case of future need, I suggest getting a vulnerability identification card (eg a Pegasus or Autism Alert Card) that is issued / used / recognised by your local police force. I have one of these, and feel very reassured by knowing that I can present it, if and when I ever need to. You can find a list of cards by area here:
Alert Card Schemes - National Police Autism Association
You might also like to consider:
- The Hidden Disabilities sunflower card (as also suggested by Andy).
These can be generic (cheaper) or personalised. In the case of the latter, the reverse of the card can be tailored to include icons that indicate particular autism-related issues that are of the most concern to you. Other accessories that the scheme offers include wristbands and lapel badges:
Hidden Disabilities - Sunflower
- Getting a MedicAlert membership account and jewellery (including neck chains, bracelets, etc).
This can highlight medical key info - including that you're autistic - at a glance, whilst also allowing emergency responders access to more information about your conditions and needs by calling the MedicAlert number (which is open 24/7) and quoting your membership number (which is also engraved on the jewellery, along with the key info):
In view of my comorbid health conditions, I also have both of these - and I routinely wear them whenever I'm out and about. :)
Hi there, I’m so sorry to hear about your experience… it sounds very frustrating.
While I’m not a legal expert, what you said does raise concerns about how the police handled your situation. Especially their reluctance to acknowledge your autism or take the steps to verify it. Under the equality act 2010 (if you’re in the UK) autism is classed as a disability, and public services including the police have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. This includes treating you fairly and making efforts to accommodate your needs, regardless of whether they have your diagnosis on record at that moment.
It’s disappointing that they didn’t take you at your word or attempt to verify your diagnosis. Even if they couldn’t immediately access medical records or contact the hospital, they could have approached the situation with more understanding and respect.
You should consider filing a formal complaint with the police force involved so they’re aware of how their actions impacted you and can review their procedures. I appreciate some people view making complaints might negatively impact you, but this shouldn’t be the case. You absolutely should share your concerns about how the police dealt with you, otherwise nothing will happen and no learning will come of it. I found the following website quite helpful with detail on the process you would follow to complain:
https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints/guide-to-complaints-process
In the meantime, you could also look into applying for something like an alert card. Whilst you shouldn’t need to prove your diagnosis, having something like this on hand could help avoid situations like this in the future. You can get an autism card from the Sunflower lanyard scheme, or on the NAS website: https://www.autism.org.uk/shop/products/merchandise/this-person-autistic
The NAS also has a helpful guide for the police, which might be worth you reading so you know what the guidance police should be following…
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/criminal-justice/criminal-justice/professionals
If you feel your arrest was unlawful, and you were detained unfairly, you could consider seeking legal advice for compensation. There are lots of no win no fees firms who could support you with this. But I don’t know the circumstances of your arrest so you should consider this with caution.
I hope this helps
Then it sounds like they didn't actually look, so all you need to get is proof they said it wasn't there and you can file a complaint should you want to.
From my experience and a few others who post on here, it goes badly if you make a complaint about the police unfortunatetly. You become the focus for a lot more attention so it can be quite uncomfortable.
It isn't right but it seems standard practice in some forces so please consider carefully before taking that next step. Sometimes you just need to let things go (maybe write to them and say here is proof it was on my record and I wasn't lying and leave it at that).
It sucks but who can you go to about it? Who watches the watchers etc.
now would this be discrimination or not?
If it is not on your medical record then the police are not discriminating.
They acted to verify the information and if what they said was true then they would think you are lying and would look more harshly on you.
To work out what is actually happening I sign up for the NHS site so you can see them online:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/view-your-gp-health-record/
This probably assumes the GP was the one who put you forward for the assessment though - if it was private or a different practice then it may not show up there.
If it was private then you were the one who should have asked for a copy of the diagnosis to provide to your GP to have it added to your records as it is not automatic in this case.
