Lisburn: Autistic teen ‘let down’ by police, says sister

The family of a teenager with autism have said she has been left traumatised after being removed from a shop by police officers.

Katie Mitchell, 19, is non-verbal and has severe autism.

Eileen Mitchell said her sister tried to buy a DVD that cost £2 in the CeX store in Lisburn, but tills had closed for the day.

The family said Katie’s mother called the police in an effort to deescalate the situation.

“There was no understanding. There was no empathy. There was no awareness from police,” said Dr Mitchell.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a woman with complex needs was removed from the shop by a family member, assisted by police. One officer was injured. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has been notified.

Eileen Mitchell said her sister and their parents had been Christmas shopping when Katie spotted a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD. She was unable to buy it as the store had just closed its tills.

“She couldn’t understand what was going on and my mum pleaded with them if she could pay the £2,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Mum even offered to come back the next day with the DVD to see if they could take a photo of the DVD so they would have the barcode,” she added.

Ms Mitchell said her mother tried to explain that Katie has a learning difficulty but staff became “quite abusive with my parents. They started swearing at my sister.”

“She was starting to cry” and “my sister was told to get the F out of the shop,” said Ms Mitchell.

“One of the staff members asked my mum if Katie had a leash, if my mum would put her on a leash to take her out of the store.”

Ms Mitchell said that her mother tried “to calm Katie down”, adding: “She’s not an animal. She’s not a dog.”

She claimed there was also “a lack of understanding from the staff”.

The girl’s mother decided to call the police but the family said what happened next was “just completely shocking”.

“Five police officers came into the store, didn’t speak at first…The staff explained the situation to the police officers that the store was closed and as far as the police were concerned the door was closed. Katie needed to leave.”

Katie is a “vulnerable adult who was at this point crying in the store and had her hands in her ears”, according to her sister.

“The police said that Katie needed to leave the store and grabbed her, had her arm behind her back and my dad fearing that because she’s quite small, she’s quite petite, that they’d break her arm.”

“My parents were really fearful at this stage, so my dad, you’ll have seen in the video, where he’s holding her and the police officers are dragging her out of the store.”

Ms Mitchell said her family feel “completely let down by the police service”.

“I felt the need to publish this story to try and raise awareness about making sure it never happens again and to make sure the police service in Northern Ireland have training and more awareness of how to deal with people with vulnerable disabilities.”

Kerry Boyd, of Autism NI, said she was “appalled” by “what appears to be a lack of understanding and respect”.

She believes the situation “could have been resolved with better understanding of autism”.

“Training needs to be mandatory,” Kerry added.

Kerry said she hopes to meet the senior executive team in the PSNI to address this to “ensure that situations like this never happen again”.

“This can’t go on. We’re nearly into 2025.”

Some local politicians have posted responses to the video on X, formerly Twitter, saying they have been in contact with the police and the family about the incident.

These include Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly who said on X: “Many will be aware of a very troubling incident recorded in Lisburn before Christmas.

“Many have contacted me, sending the clip and expressing serious concerns. Please be assured, we have reached out and also have contacted the PSNI in relation to the incident.”

In a statement, Supt Kelly Moore said police were aware of video footage which is circulating on social media in which officers are “seen to be carrying a female from a shop”.

“Police were called by the female’s mother to provide assistance in the Bow Street area of Lisburn at 6.15pm on Sunday 22nd December. The shop was closing its shutters when a female entered the premises.

“Officers attended and after discussions with family and staff members for approximately 20 minutes, a 19-year-old female with complex needs was removed from the shop by a family member, assisted by police.

“This was a very difficult and complex set of circumstances for everyone involved and I have spoken to the family today to discuss their concerns.

“As an organisation we are committed to continuous learning and any feedback will be reviewed and considered.”

She said the Police Ombudsman had been notified “not because there is any suspected criminality or inappropriate behaviour which would justify disciplinary proceedings but owing to the widespread public concern and media attention surrounding the release of a short video clip of a few seconds of this incident”.