‘Disability and carers support network is always there for colleagues’

7 November 2025

Detective Inspector James Bird is proud of the work being done by a support network for disability and carers in West Midlands Police.

EnABLE offers officers and staff peer support and a place for discussion and help.

And, as its chair, James also works with the Force to ensure it is doing the best it can for its people.

James, a West Midlands Police Federation member, said: “EnABLE is the staff network for disability and carers, and is there for staff and police officers. Anybody can join, whether they have a disability or not.

“We get a lot of people join who might not have a disability or a condition themselves, but care for a loved one who does. So, membership is open to everybody.”

Safe and accepting

The network has been running for a number of years, and James has recently been made its chair. It aims to give members the chance to provide mutual support, emotional and practical assistance, and to be able to share understanding.

James said: “It’s a safe and accepting environment for disability and carers in the Force who need support.”

He added: “Also, as the chair, my role is a little bit different. I’m working with the organisation to try to create and ensure best practice.

“I see my role as a bit of the middle ground, because I’m supporting the organisation as much as I am the staff and officers who have a disability or a condition or something they have to manage while at work.”

Supporting colleagues

James has a wealth of understanding when it comes to supporting his police colleagues, particularly around neurodiversity.

He is an executive committee member of the Disabled Police Association, which is made up of serving officers and staff from across the UK and meets regularly to discuss issues in policing relating to disability, injury and illness.

James, who is dyslexic and has ADHD, uses his lived experience to promote the advantages of a neurodiverse workforce. He co-founded West Midlands Police’s Neurodiversity Staff Network and is an executive committee member.

He is also a trustee of the Police National Dyslexia Association (PNDA), which supports neurodiverse police colleagues in the workplace. When PNDA was launched in the Houses of Parliament, James was asked to talk and spoke about the value of a neurodiverse workforce.

He said: “Dyslexic thinking should only ever be seen as an absolute strength in policing and leadership, not a barrier. Problem-solving, big picture thinking and outside of the box solutions are natural strengths for dyslexics.

Reasonable adjustments

“West Midlands Police continues to be a significant pioneer in this area and continue to support others nationally, promoting the advantages of dyslexic and neurodiverse workforces.”

James also works with the College of Policing on issues relating to disability, neurodivergence and reasonable adjustments.

“I’ve got quite a broad national portfolio,” he said. “I’ve recently taken on the national work stream within the NPCC’s (National Police Chiefs’ Council) disability portfolio for victims, witnesses, suspects and residents.

“I’m doing a lot of work around trying to raise awareness in policing of the significance of disability. For instance, around 25 per cent of the population of working age in the West Midlands will have a disability. It’s probably around 47 per cent of people over working age, and then around 11 to 14 per cent of children.

“It’s not just a minority group, it’s quite a significant minority group and a group that, at some point in people’s life, we will all be part of.

Victims of crime

“And then also people with disabilities are more likely to be victims of crime, women with disabilities are more likely to be victims of domestic abuse.”

“You don’t see those statistics because a lot of these are dealt with in different departments or in isolation, and most of the information we need from a policing perspective is held by our partners, so I’m looking at that.”

Email EnABLE for more information or to get involved.