Mother and son receive police award for their work to improve support for people who are neurodivergent

Devon & Cornwall Police has formally recognised a mother and son for their work aimed at improving support for neurodivergent individuals across the force.

Cornwall-locals Marie Hutchinson-Ralph and Malachi Tasker-Ralph are prominent members of, and advocates for, the neurodivergent community. They have been working collaboratively with the force for a number of years.

Together they have carried out bespoke training sessions, webinars and led local projects to help improve the force’s approach to communication, care and response to individuals who are neurodivergent.

 PC John Holland, who has worked alongside the duo, said: “Our officers will of course attend emergencies and/or chat to people who are neurodivergent whilst out in the community.

“That’s why work like this is vital - Marie and Malachi provide a powerful insight through their lived experience to the force around policing, which forms part of the invaluable training they have supported in delivering to our officers and staff.

“Listening to the voices of everyone in our communities is essential - it means we can police our communities in the way they want to be policed, always putting the person at the centre of our response and building inclusive relationships.”

Marie and Malachi have supported with delivering inputs to the force around ‘thinking about people who think differently’ and more recently led a ‘Keep calm, it’s only Tourettes’ webinar for the College of Policing which was attended by officers and police colleagues from around the UK.

They were also advocates for the launch of the ‘Neurodiversity IDs’ (NDIDs) in 2025, which are green wristbands that can be worn by individuals who are neurodivergent. When scanned by emergency services, they provide vital information about the person so that responders on scene can give them the right help at the time.

The duo were awarded a Chief Superintendent’s Certificate on Wednesday 11 February at a local ceremony in St Austell, celebrating their contribution to policing and their community.

Award winners Marie and Malachi said: "We are deeply honoured to receive this recognition from Devon & Cornwall Police.

"It means a great deal to us both, not only personally but for the wider neurodivergent community whose insights and experiences shape positive change.

"True progress happens when communities are listened to and worked with and when collaboration replaces assumption and learning is shared in every direction.

"We’re grateful to everyone within the force who has engaged with this work with such openness and care, and we look forward to continuing to build safer, more understanding, and inclusive communities together."

Following in his mother’s footsteps, Malachi also recently received the coveted British Citizen Award Medal of Honour for Services to Education (BCAe) following his work in raising awareness for Tourette’s and autism acceptance in the UK.

They are the only mother and son to receive the award.

Chief Superintendent Scott Bradley, who presented the award, said: “Malachi and Marie’s inputs have given and continue to give us the knowledge we need to make sure our response and communication is appropriate from the very first moment we engage any member of the public.  

“We know that we haven’t always got it right in the past, but we are continually striving to do better and be better so that we can progress and improve the service we provide to the neurodivergent community.”

Devon & Cornwall Police continue to work with the neurodivergent communities of Cornwall and the National Police Autism Association to support neurodiverse individuals both in the force and in the community.