Rotherham police back autism charity

Staff and officers in Rotherham have been showing their support for the National Autistic Society (NAS).

They met members of NAS and learnt about the Autism Alert Card which is carried by members of the community who have been diagnosed with autism to help them cope in situations where communication may be difficult.

In 2014, the local policing team embarked on a project to ensure that all staff and officers were given an awareness of autism so that they could understand what it would be like for them to come in to contact with police.

Ch Supt Rob Odell, district commander for Rotherham, said: “Officers in Rotherham have been given a vast amount of knowledge and information about autism, thanks to the National Autistic Society.

“The aim of this is that if someone with autism does come in to contact with the police, our officers understand and know the best way to communicate with that person.

“The red Autism Alert Card can also help officers to contact members of their family, should we need to, and similarly, helps them to contact us, if ever need to.”

To find out more about the Autism Alert Card, visit autism.org.uk.