Claire praised for supporting autistic man

16 September 2020

A police officer has been praised for going ‘above and beyond’ by the family of an autistic dad who had been conned out of his pension and savings of more than £75,000.

PC Claire Merrell says she drew on her own experiences of being the mum of an autistic son when she took a statement from the victim.

Claire said: “It brought a tear to my eye. I put myself in his daughter’s shoes and just thought if this was my son and he needed help how would he want to be treated? To receive thanks for that is overwhelming.”

She added: “I don’t think I went over and above. I just dealt with this man compassionately, knowing how difficult this must have been for him.”

Her line manager, Inspector Ada Leppard, said Claire’s efforts were typical of her approach to policing.

“The feedback for Claire is not a surprise to me as she is a very caring officer who always has the victim at the forefront of her mind. It is so nice to receive feedback from the gentleman’s daughter about how Claire dealt with him, and how she had such a positive impact on them after such awful crimes,” said Ada.

The victim’s daughter has since taken the step of contacting the Force to express the family’s thanks.

“She went above and beyond to ensure he felt comfortable and at ease,” said the daughter. “She was clear in the advice she gave us going forward, how the police would work to keep us safe and what we could do ourselves.

“She gave him a great deal of reassurance and made something that was so difficult for him much more comfortable. I don’t feel these words even begin to paint the picture of how amazing she was. She is a credit to the Force.

“My family and I would like to thank her more than we could ever put into words.”