PSNI officer training recommended by Ombudsman's Office over shop incident involving autistic woman

The Police Ombudsman's Office has found there was no misconduct committed by the officers involved in removing the woman from the shop in Lisburn in December 2024 .

The Ombudsman instigated an investigation after receiving a complaint from the woman's mother.

Video footage of the incident was shared widely on social media at the time.

It unfolded when the young woman, who is non-verbal, entered the shop through half-closed shutters as it was about to close.

The shop's tills were no longer operational, meaning the woman was unable to buy a DVD she wanted.

Shop staff asked the woman, and her mother, to leave.

The Ombudsman's Office said the situation escalated and the police were called when the woman would not leave the shop.

Investigators viewed body worn videos captured by police showing that the first two officers to arrive discussed the situation with the young woman's parents, made it clear that she needed to leave, and that their preference was for her parents to remove her.

Her father then encouraged his daughter to leave. He then tried to move her physically. When this was unsuccessful, officers discussed the most appropriate course of action.

The ombudsman said officers only became physically involved after the young woman's father continued to experience difficulties managing on his own. The watchdog said one officer was injured during one attempt to escort the young woman outside.

The ombudsman said repeated efforts were made and ultimately, when two further police officers arrived at the scene, the four officers and the young woman's father carried her out of the shop.

The complaint to the Police Ombudsman centred on whether the officers complied with their training in respect of autism and whether the training itself was effective.

While finding no misconduct against any of the officers, Nikki Davis , Director of Investigations with the Police Ombudsman's Office, said the incident was "undoubtedly distressing" and she emphasised the need for enhanced training.

"What happened during this incident was undoubtedly distressing for this young woman and her parents, and footage of her being carried out of the shop by police and her father was the subject of significant public commentary," she said.

"However, when reviewed in its entirety, the body worn video, which included audio, together with CCTV footage, showed that the police officers who responded to the incident understood that the best approach was for her parents to encourage her to leave the shop.

"When those efforts were unsuccessful, and their own attempts to escort the young woman from the shop also failed, the officers, along with her father, physically removed her.

"The police officers recognised from the outset that there was no simple solution and their action was a last resort in an incident which lasted for around 18 minutes from police entering the shop to leaving.

"While the officers did not breach the PSNI code of ethics, the situation exposed a gap in current PSNI training and led directly to the recommendation that police officers should receive enhanced training which equips them to engage with, and respond to, any autistic person, but especially a person who speaks few or no words and may communicate in other ways".