Specialised police investigators’ knowledge of autism and strategies used to support autistic offenders

There is growing evidence that (1) many autistic people do not have positive interactions with the police and (2) many police do not feel they have sufficient knowledge to identify or support autistic people. To explore this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 investigators working in a specialised police unit. The interview aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of investigators’ general and role-specific knowledge of autism, their confidence in identifying and supporting autistic offenders, and the strategies they employ to support the autistic offenders they encounter. Although the police investigators felt that a substantial proportion of the offenders they support were likely to be autistic, none reported having any formal training in autism. Thematic analysis of the interview data led to three themes: Noticing differences but not knowing diagnoses, Using ad hoc approaches, and For autistic offenders, police are part of a broader system. These highlight the importance of multifaceted training that provides both knowledge in how to identify autistic offenders, as well as skills-based training in how to support autistic offenders now and into the future.