Nairn resident calls for greater police education on neurodivergence and LGBTQ+ equality after feeling criminalised in nightmare neighbour dispute
A Nairn resident has called for more education for police officers to help them deal with cases involving neurodivergent, disabled and LGBTQ+ people.
Logan B phoned the police after a series of incidents concerning his neighbour, who was exhibiting antisocial behaviour in their block of flats over a period of time before the neighbour, along with his mother, assaulted Logan.
Despite registering complaints with both his housing association and the police, he has since bought a campervan and is spending as much time as possible away from his flat.
Logan was left less than impressed by how various officials handled the situation at practically every stage of his complaint.
“I met my housing officer who was really quite unprofessional and inappropriate,” Logan said.
“There was a member of staff from Autism Initiatives with us in the meeting to support me through this process, and the housing officer would look at her and point at me and ask if this was low-functioning autism, which is really disablist.
“When things escalated and I phoned the police, they told me to shut the door so they could speak to my neighbour and his mother first. That was the first thing I considered not to be right – I phoned them, they should speak to me first.
“When they came to my flat, I showed them the letters that say my neighbour is being investigated for antisocial behaviour, and that this has been going on for many months.
“To me, it was like the police treated me as the offender even though I phoned them with the complaint.
“I think this is the big problem for people who are on the autism spectrum. I know people who don’t want to call the police, because there is a good chance that the other person will be believed.
“I am queer, and I am autistic, so sometimes people make presumptions about me. I feel like the police look at me and they try to see criminality.
“People try to turn it around and tell me that I am lying, making it up or that I am overly sensitive due to my disability. Many people think autistic people are dysfunctional or violent.
“We are not. We are vulnerable, and we will suffer through a lot of bullying and violence.”
On the incident and police officers’ handling of the case, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Between Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 29, 2024, we received three calls to an address in Nairn.
"The parties involved were spoken to and officers carried out enquiries. No crime was established and advice and assistance was given.
"A complaint was received regarding our initial response and officers further engaged with the complainer and resolved the issue raised. No complaint was received relating to protected characteristics or diversity training.
"Should they have any further concerns we would ask them to please contact us."
As far as what could be done to prevent a repeat situation occurring in the future, Logan points towards greater education for police officers as one potential route forward.
“I think they just didn’t take it seriously being someone like me, so I would certainly say that the police should be educated more to take it seriously,” he stressed.
“When vulnerable people call the police, they should listen to them first. That is their job, instead of picking someone else’s side because that person looks more ‘normal’.
“They saw that I was clearly really distressed and upset, after the incident, and I believe it would be the norm for the police to come back and check on me the next day, and that did not happen.
“Even though they watched the footage, they didn’t think that should be part of the procedure whereas I know that if someone gets assaulted that is part of the procedure, because that happened to me in England.
“For the police, it seemed like a neighbourly dispute so complain to housing, which completely dismisses the part where there was violence, and I’m a vulnerable person and I’m transgender.
“I have several protected characteristics, so maybe they should care a little bit. Whether it is autistic-phobia, or transphobia, or xenophobia, or any combination of the three, it was a problematic approach.”
On the training that is currently provided to officers, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: "It is imperative that we provide everyone with a fair, just and effective policing response.
"Following on from their initial probationer training, officers undertake an ongoing programme of training including continuous professional development in equity, diversity and inclusion to ensure they uphold our standards of professional behaviour and reflect our values of integrity, fairness, respect and upholding human rights."
Logan is now hoping to relocate and move away from his problem, but that is easier said than done.
It will take time, but even despite frustrations with how the matter has been handled he would still go back to the police if further incidents occur in the meantime.
“I can’t live where I am now, it has become impossible for me,” Logan added.
“As I see it, this person assaulted me and got away with it, so what’s the next stage? Your home is supposed to be a place you can relax, and I don’t feel safe in the building.
“How does somebody like me approach these kinds of situations? A lot of autistic people live alone, and don’t have another witness. That’s another vulnerability in this context.
“Do you phone one of your friends and involve them with the police? It’s a very tricky situation.
“If someone committed a crime against me, yes, I would call the police. I would let them do whatever they want to do, but I would record it and I will not be quiet if they do something that I consider to be wrong.
“I have a safety net around me, there are people I can call on if the police are not treating me correctly and I will.
“It’s not just for me. Many people who are either autistic or transgender don’t have the resilience to fight the system. They will give up because it’s stressful and traumatic.
“I think I have the resilience, so I’m not just doing this for me. I’m doing this for people like me who might be in those same situations to show them a way of dealing with them, and eventually winning.”