by Craig Flint
Detective Superintendent | National Police Chiefs’ Council
Deaf Awareness Week gives us a helpful pause.
Not the dramatic, blue‑lights‑on kind – more the “hold on a second, put the kettle on” kind.
Because at its heart, Deaf Awareness Week is not really about posters, badges or a well‑meaning email that we promise ourselves we will read properly later. It is about something far simpler, and far more important.
Being understood.
And making sure everyone else is too.
What this looks like in policing
Policing is built on communication. Briefings, radios, fast decisions, difficult conversations, reassurance delivered at speed and often under pressure. If communication falls down, everything else follows it shortly afterwards.
For Deaf and hard of hearing people, those barriers appear more often than most of us realise. A meeting where the captions were “meant to be on”. Someone talking while facing a screen, a flipchart or the window. Information shared verbally, quickly, once, and then we all move on.
There is almost never bad intent – often just habit, pace and a bit of “we’ve always done it this way”.
But in policing, those small moments matter. We deal with people at their most vulnerable. Victims, witnesses, suspects, colleagues having a tough day. If someone cannot properly hear, understand or be understood, confidence drops instantly. And trust, once lost, is hard to get back.
It is not just about Deaf colleagues
Deaf Awareness Week is not only about the people we work with. It is about the people we serve.
There are Deaf victims reporting crime. Deaf witnesses trying to explain what they saw while under stress. Deaf family members waiting for updates. Deaf people needing help at times when clarity really matters.
If communication is not accessible, people can feel ignored, anxious or shut out. Not because we do not care, but because we have not slowed down enough to check understanding.
Often, tiny changes make a huge difference:
- Facing the person you are speaking to
- Using captions as standard, not a special request
- Sharing information visually as well as verbally
- Checking, politely, that the message landed where it was meant to
None of this is complicated. It just needs awareness.
A quick word on assumptions
One of the easiest traps to fall into is assuming that hearing loss looks a certain way. It does not.
Some Deaf people use British Sign Language. Some lip‑read. Some use hearing aids or cochlear implants. Some do different things depending on the setting, the day, the noise level and their energy. None of this is unusual. It is just human.
The safest approach is refreshingly simple. Ask what works for the individual. Then do your best to make it happen.
That is not special treatment. That is basic fairness.
Why this matters beyond one week
Deaf Awareness Week is helpful because it shines a light. But inclusion is not a Monday‑to‑Friday campaign that goes back in the drawer next week.
If we only think about accessibility when there is a logo involved, we miss the point completely. The real test is what we do on a normal Tuesday afternoon, with back‑to‑back meetings and a radio that will not stop talking.
Good communication helps everyone.
Clear messages reduce mistakes.
Feeling understood builds confidence and trust.
And that makes our organisation stronger, calmer and more effective.
How we all play our part
You do not need to be an expert. You do not need the perfect words. And you definitely do not need to get everything right first time.
You just need to be open, curious and willing to adapt.
If you are not sure, ask.
If something is not accessible, change it.
If someone tells you what they need, believe them.
That mindset removes more barriers than any policy document ever will.
In summary
Deaf Awareness Week matters because it reminds us of what policing is really about when we are at our best.
Listening properly.
Communicating clearly.
Treating people with dignity.
And recognising that the right to be understood is not an optional extra. It is fundamental.
If we get that right, this stops being a campaign and starts being part of how we do policing every single day.
So here is the ask, and it is a modest one:
This week, pick one thing you will do differently.
- Turn captions on as standard
- Face people when you speak
- Check that what you said was actually heard, not just politely nodded at
If we all make one small change, Deaf Awareness Week stops being a message and starts being a habit.
And that would be a right result! ∎
Deaf Awareness Week 2026 runs from the 4th to the 10th May
This blog was originally written for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire Police – it is reproduced here with kind permission of the author