Police need to be more patient with disabilities

Girluk55
Girluk55 Community Member Posts: 16 Connected
in Mental health and wellbeing

Many disabilities... pychosis, 50/50 blind & ...

When I first got diagnosed with EUPD everything changed. I got depressed and suicidal. My mental health team got worried about my welfare and called 999 alot for me.

13/10/24

I was hearing voices and (A&E keep doors open) and I wondered out in the streets in my pjs. A stranger finds me and I ended up getting sexually assaulted.

A random ambulance finds me and flags me down. Probably because I was randomly walking in the road. I was in the ambulance van at all times. Ambulance told me they need to report the assault to police and to have me sectioned under 136. When police came I told them I had been raped. The police response was to ignore the rape, and arrest me for calling 999 too much, refusing medical care all the time

I was getting stitches, and the police arrested me for bladed article. I really distraught.

Hospital told me the Police refused to locate me when I went missing from the hospital. My hospital documented that police refused to find a missing patient - same time I got sexually assaulted.

All Charges dropped.

Later on I proved police data team documented after 2 yrs, I never called 999 in 2023-2024, hospital data documented I never refused care, police lied and said I was in a car park, Police's own footage shows I was in an ambulance the whole time. An ambulance van is not public place

The police's own vulnerability team gave advice to arrest a rape victim 13.98.24 inside an ambulance - got it in writing from Police

Do you think the Police learn to be more disability friendly? You think they learn from the first time?

Answer: NO!

11.10.24

I called my mental health team for support. They refused to do a visit and ended the phone call in 5 seconds. I ended up not wanting to go on. The police turned up first. Just me and this officer. Ambulance turn up shortly after, standing behind me, the officer immediately arrested me for public nuisance for calling 999 too much be said.The paramedics argued with the officer saying I didn't call so he wrote "Called mental health team, has a history of calling emergency services and the same MO of attempting suicide" on my arrest record.

He took me to the ambulance van and the officer LEFT ME, as in arrested me and left me, did not come back. I was left in handcuffs in the streets.

As soon as I got to the police station a police officer said - you do know we're going to have to 136 her in the morning (basically let me go). Charges dropped as always - because I never called 999

There's name-calling, punching, sexual harassment, bullying in general

Police need more compassion, supportive, disability training, more support …

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Comments

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 8,861 Online Community Team

    That sounds really difficult @Girluk55. I'm so sorry you went through all that and didn't feel supported or believed by the police, that's awful.

    Did you feel able to make a complaint about your experience at the time? If not, it might be worth thinking about making one. You can submit a complaint to the Independent Office of Police Conduct here: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints/submit-a-complaint

    I know it won't change what happened to you in the past, but it may mean they look more closely about how officers are trained to support people with disabilities.

    Did you get any support from other services after what happened to you? For example, mental health teams or support for victims of crime.

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 2,800 Connected

    I remember a few years back, I was on a Hillsborough bound Tram in Town, Wednesday were at Home to Millwall, abd the away fans were being rowdy on the Tram, and I didn't feel safe so I removed myself from the Tram on West St, unseen by my support worker… I'd got my green Sunflower Lanyard round my neck signifying I have a disability (I wore that because I knew there was a match and expected problems), I went up to a local Policeman explaining my problem, I'd lost my support worker and my phone died so I couldn't phone Dad at Home to come and "rescue" me.. He was about as much use as a cardboard Teapot and that's being kind!

    So nowadays I ensure my phone's fully charged when I go out in case of problems like that.

    I also emailed my local MP when I eventually got back, and he told me that the Plod weren't trained to recognise the Sunflower Lanyards, and would bring it up with local Police Chiefs on my behalf.

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