The Disabled Police Association is excited to announce that Tilly Lockey – media personality, model, singer, actor, radio host, influencer and Open Bionics Ambassador – will be speaking at the Disability in Policing Conference awards in September 2024.

At 18 years old, Tilly has already overcome massive challenges. As a baby, she was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia – although she survived against all the odds, she lost both her hands.

Tilly’s work with Open Bionics has led her to be known as the ‘Bionic Girl’ after being fitted with ‘hero arm’ prosthetics as a small child. She and her Mum, Sarah now help to raise awareness and funding for others to have the same opportunity.

Tilly is an inspiration to all, amassing nearly half a million followers on social media due to her refusal to be defined and her reshaping of perceptions about disability.

Click on the link to find out more about Tilly’s story. ∎

We’re so excited to connect directly with key decision-makers in police forces and government with our committee elected in 2024.

Now that we’ve launched on LinkedIn, we’ll be hoping to use the platform to:

• Share our vision for a more inclusive police service
• Amplify the voices of disabled police staff and officers
• Collaborate with you to drive positive change

Follow us on LinkedIn here:

linkedin.com/company/disabled-police-association

We would like to give a big thank you to those already supporting us!

Together, let’s promote, challenge and celebrate opportunities for disabled people working within the extended police family. ∎

As part of the Police Uplift Programme to attract new officers representing our diverse communities, the Disabled Police Association is delighted to announce that a recruitment video featuring a disabled officer has been released on joiningthepolice.co.uk, the applications portal for police forces in England and Wales.

The DPA’s film features Keyur Patel, an Acting Inspector with the Metropolitan Police who was diagnosed with leukaemia. Cancer is an example of an illness that is treated as a disability due to the impact that it has on day-to-day life.

Tracy Betts, DPA President, said: “It is great to see disability featured in a national police recruitment campaign, and we are grateful to Keyur for sharing his story. We would urge anyone with a disability who is looking for a challenging and rewarding career to look at the options available for joining the police service.”

For more information, click on the link to go to the DPA page on the Joining The Police
website. ∎