Durham Police Federation is shining a light on the growing support available for neurodivergent members.

Central to this progress has been the work of Sergeant Lisa Hall, the branch equality lead.

Lisa has drawn on her own knowledge and experience of neurodiversity to play a key role in developing initiatives to support colleagues and promote greater understanding in policing.

Before becoming a Federation representative, Lisa established the Force’s Neurodivergent Support Alliance.

The group, which is now chaired by colleagues since Lisa stepped down from the role in 2024, is going from strength to strength.

Support

It aims to provide peer support as well as safe spaces for officers and staff to talk and share their experiences.

“The network has really grown,” said Lisa, who works in the Governance and Insights Command.

“It’s got lots of members now who get together for coffees, seminars, and talk about different ways of working and challenges they’ve experienced.

“It’s a confidential space, so it’s not managed by the Force, for people to reach out and be among people that understand.”

The Force’s commitment to inclusion is further reflected in its status as a Disability Confident employer, part of a Government initiative encouraging organisations to remove barriers and create inclusive workplaces.

Lisa believes that recognising and valuing the strengths of neurodivergent officers and staff is key to improving wellbeing and performance.

“Some of our best officers are neurodivergent,” she said. “It’s about putting the right person in the right role with the right skillset and allowing them to thrive.

Neurodivergent

“It’s talked about too much in negative terms, that if you’re neurodivergent, you can’t do this and you can’t do that.

“I’m all about flipping that narrative and focusing on what people can do.”

And while Lisa welcomes the growing awareness and steps that have been made to support neurodivergent people in policing, she feels more can still be done.

“Policing has come a long way when it comes to victims, witnesses, members of the public,” she said. “But I think that nationally, when it comes to looking after our own, we’ve still got a way to go.”

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