The System Isn't Broken. It's Working Exactly As It Was Built

There’s a story we keep being told.

If police just had more training…If they just understood autism a bit better…If we could just explain ourselves more clearly……things would be safer.

But the evidence, the history, tells a different story.

Not a comfortable one. Not a simple one. And definitely not one that can be solved with a training module and a checkbox.

Let’s start here: contact isn’t rare. Autistic people don’t just encounter police as “offenders.” In fact, Australian research shows something quietly important: Most police contact happens when autistic people are seeking help or being harmed.

Let that land for a second.

We’re not talking about a fringe interaction. We’re talking about people reaching out… and the system they meet.

At the same time, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us there are hundreds of thousands of autistic people in Australia, many with significant support needs.

So this isn’t a niche issue. This is everyday life.

And across Australia, police do receive training. Programs exist within: Queensland Police Service, NSW Police Force, Victoria Police, WA Police Force

There are modules. Guides. Awareness campaigns. Even co-designed resources with Autistic advocates.

And yes, these can improve knowledge. They can even improve confidence. But here’s the catch. Confidence is not the same thing as safety. Knowing about autism is not the same as responding safely in a high-pressure, sensory-heavy, authority-driven situation.

And most importantly…Training does not change the system people are stepping into.

Where things actually go wrong: Many autistic people describe the same pattern- Being read as “non-compliant” instead of overwhelmed. Being seen as “suspicious” instead of confused. Being escalated instead of supported

Things like: avoiding eye contact, what is known as 'delayed processing' (because we are actually often processing more, which may delay our response as we decide on the most appropriate path to take), stimming, shutdown or overload…get interpreted through a policing lens.

Not a human one.Not a disability-informed one.And definitely not a neuro-affirming one.

This isn’t about individual officers being “bad.” It’s about a system trained to prioritise: control, compliance, speed…in moments where what’s actually needed is: time, translation, safety

The bigger truth: police are the default.

One of the clearest findings from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is this:Police are often called because there is nowhere else to call.

Not enough crisis supports. Not enough disability-informed services, especially as they play catch-up to neuro-affirming frameworks. Not enough community infrastructure.

So police become the front line for: mental health crises sensory overload in public spaces, housing instability, family breakdown, unmet support needs

That’s not a training issue. That’s a systems design issue.

Violence isn’t theoretical. The data is heavy.

From the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Autism Strategy (while we still have one): People with disability, including Autistic people, are: more likely to experience violence more likely to experience repeated harm more likely to need police support because of that harm

So when we talk about policing…We’re often talking about people already in vulnerable, unsafe situations.

And then something else happens. The pipeline no one wants to name. Australia doesn’t collect good autism- specific justice data. That alone is telling.

But we do know this: Disability is massively overrepresented in the justice system.

Data from agencies like the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows high rates of disability among people in custody.

And reports from groups like Amaze and the University of New South Wales point to the same mechanisms: people not being identified as disabled supports not being provided behaviours being criminalised systems being inaccessible

This isn’t a single moment of failure. It’s a pathway. One that starts with misunderstanding…and can end in incarceration.

And the gaps get wider if you live regionally. If you’re in a city, there might be: specialist services advocacy crisis teams alternatives to police

If you’re in a regional area like Gladstone, or zoom in further and look at rural areas? Those options thin out fast.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has already flagged that disability-specific supports are harder to access outside metro areas. So what fills the gap? Police. Again.

Not because they’re the right service. Because they’re the only service.

So… is training useless? No. Let’s be clear about that. Training matters. It can: reduce immediate harm, improve communication, give officers better tools in the moment

But it’s like handing someone an umbrella in a cyclone. Helpful? Sure. Enough? Not even close.

What actually needs to changeIf we want real safety, the evidence points somewhere bigger, not just a sensory room to be left inside so they can say that their job is done:

1. Support before crisis: Fund community, peer-led, neuro-affirming supports so police aren’t the first call.

2. Real safeguards during contact: Not just awareness, but: support people, communication, accommodation, sensory adjustments, time

3. Proper identification: Stop relying on people to disclose in high-stress situations.

4. Diversion pathways: Give police somewhere else to take people besides custody.

5. Regional investment: Because postcode should not determine safety.

And face the uncomfortable truths by talking about them; Own them. Autistic people are not “too complex” for the system. The system is too rigid for human variation. Training tries to bend people into the system. What we actually need…is a system that bends toward people. And this is where community matters. Because the most important insight isn’t sitting in a policy document. It’s already here. In lived experience. In peer spaces. In the quiet knowledge of what actually helps when things start to unravel. It's in allowing these to inform the research we use as evidence, hand-in-hand, to make the necessary changes for progress.

That’s the work. Not just teaching systems about us. But building alternatives that don’t require us to survive them.