Autism champion brings his 'superpowers' to policing
A police community support officer (PCSO) with autism is championing neurodiversity throughout his force.
Phillip Millichap, joined Staffordshire Police in October 2021 having spent ten years caring for the elderly in his local neighbourhood and working as a customer sales assistant in retail.
He recently joined the South Staffordshire Neighbourhood Policing Team and has become one of the force’s Autism Champions for the East Staffordshire region, promoting and supporting other individuals with neurodiversity.
“By sharing my experiences living with autism, I want to be an advocate for any individual and enhance the diverse workforce,” he said. “What motivates me within the force and my current role is striving to make a positive difference and using my superpowers from my autism, such as attentiveness to every detail, to go the extra mile.
While Mr Millichap accepts that his autism has led to some setbacks, he says Staffordshire Police has been fully supportive of him, meaning he feels fully integrated into the force.
“It’s been a challenge to get where I am today due to the lack of awareness around autism. One of the challenges I constantly found myself facing was the frustration of not being understood by others, this made me sometimes feel socially awkward.
“My colleagues have been amazing and very supportive during my training and me being on-shift which has made my experience in the police an enjoyable one.”
“My main piece of advice that I could offer to someone, would be to embrace being different as it should not stop you from achieving your dreams or be seen as a barrier to anything.
“I’m a big believer in sharing my experiences of having autism, to raise awareness and encourage others to follow their dreams and to view it as a positive rather than being a barrier.”
