Disabled Police Association

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself as Interim President of the DPA after taking over from Tracy Betts. I'm excited to have this opportunity to bring disability in policing to the forefront of equality agendas. I look forward to working with you all. As the end of 2024 draws near, I want to say a huge THANK YOU from the DPA committee for your dedication and commitment to this important cause. Most of us carry out this work on top of already busy day jobs. It's important to recognise this and tell you that your work makes such a difference to the working lives of officers and staff across the UK. Please carry on doing this great work. Warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and a peaceful New Year, Andrea Shoetan Interim President

Don’t know where to start, what a day visiting #buckinghampalace to collect my #mbe ! Truly honoured to receive this award from the Princess Royal, so happy to have my parents, niece @kainat_24 & brother @ozzieash69 joining me on this auspicious occasion, so humbled to receive this honour for my service to policing, for 11 years @merseysidepolice has been the employer of choice for me & long may my service continue ❤️

📢 We are pleased to announce that Inspector Andrea Shoetan from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has been appointed as the Interim President of the Disabled Police Association 📢 “I am honoured to have been elected as interim President of the National Disabled Police Association (DPA). I hope to honour the hard work and commitment of all previous Presidents as I take the baton.” -Andrea Shoetan For further information, please refer to our official statement: https://lnkd.in/dtScgx_E The DPA Executive team extends their best wishes to Andrea in her new leadership role. From left to right;  Assistant Chief Officer Andrew Price, NPCC Disability lead,  Andrea Shoetan, Interim President, Tracy Betts, DPA President 2023-2024 and Chief Constable of Derbyshire Rachel Swann, NPCC DEI Lead.

For Disability History Month, our committee member Kathie shares her experiences with hearing loss candidly and authentically, reflecting on her journey from diagnosis to adaptation. #DisabilityHistoryMonth #deaf #hearingloss

Thank you to everyone who shared our highlights video of the Disability in Policing Conference yesterday 🎞   We are excited to announce the launch of a national survey aimed at exploring the experiences of disabled and neurodivergent police officers and staff members 🗳   In collaboration with academic partners, this survey will provide valuable insights into the lived experiences of our colleagues, contributing to the development of the DPA’s 2025-2028 strategy and the first National Disability in Policing strategy, supported by the National Police Chiefs' Council and College of Policing.   The survey is open to all serving staff and officers, and the link has been disseminated to local staff support associations ✉️   If you work in policing and have not received a link but wish to participate in the survey, please email a.howard926@canterbury.ac.uk #disability #police Anjali Howard

Today, we celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities 🌐 As part of our 12-point action plan, we celebrate where we have got it right by publicly championing supervisors and managers who show a real commitment to diversity and inclusion and how this enhances job satisfaction and improves service delivery. This extends to championing police forces, therefore, we ask police forces across the UK and internally to share one thing they are proud of surrounding diversity and disability. To start the celebrations today, we are sharing with you the highlights video of our recent national conference last September. We were so proud to see representation from every police force in England, Wales, Scotland and PSNI at our Disability in Policing Conference, either in person or online. A first for the DPA! 🎉 We would like to ask you to please share this video to inspire others to champion diversity and disability 🔁

Thank you to PolicingTV for their coverage on our Disability in Policing conference. You can watch their video here: https://lnkd.in/euqqpF94 This piece features our team including Tracy Betts, Andrew Price, Angus Davidson 🔹, Lillie Abbott, Saima Ashraf MBE The video also features officers and staff from other forces including West Midlands Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Welsted and Tess Johnson. Exhibitors and sponsors featured include Carl Mumford and Mike Riordan. #DIP24 #DisabilityinPolicing #DIP #DPA

An article for DHM https://lnkd.in/eZ9VdzSJ

On the first day of UK Disability History Month, Kathie Buffery from Greater Manchester Police and Andrea Shoetan from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary are proud to launch the results of the first ever Police National Hearing Survey 2024. It has shown there is likely to be an increased risk of hearing loss within operational policing. With thanks to the Federation, Unison and the DPA for their support. There are two versions, a shorter plan on a page with our recommendations (page 1) and the longer detailed results summary (pages 2-18). We hope you find time to read these, and we look forward to updating you on the progress of achieving our recommendations. Contact details can be found at the bottom of the first page of the document below. You will need to download the document to contact Kathie Buffery or Andrea Shoetan. #UKDHM #UKDHM24 #UKDHM2024 GMP d/Deaf and Hard of hearing support network

North Yorkshire Police are the latest UK force to assist neurodiversity officers by supplying Samboard tactile tiles (fidget toys). They are ideal items as can be used discreetly. We welcome their introduction and recommend them to all neurodiversity colleagues.