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Authorised Firearms Officer & Type 1 Diabetes

H

Hfisk

Member
Messages
5
Hi all,

Just out of curiousity, are there any members here that are or know of any Authorised Firearms Officers in the UK that are type 1 diabetic?

Are there any restrictions in the police or solo working/solo response?

Are there any other units in the police that are restricted on medical grounds?

Any input would be great.

Thanks,
Harry
 
Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

I'll tag in @KK123 who may happen to know this?
 


Hi there, the answer is yes, it is possible. Any Firearms Officer must undergo a thorough (extra) health check anyway and if you can prove your diabetes is managed then you will be considered. Obviously it's a role that you don't just join the Police and go straight into, there is a lot of training involved long before you get authorised.
 
Hi, thanks for getting back to me. And apologies I haven't replied sooner as I did not have notifications turned on for the post! That's great news, I don't suppose you are able to get a policy that states that by any chance? The reason I ask is I'm a paramedic for 8 years and T1 for 20. However, my employer have banned me from working solo for no apparent reason (no hypos or any diabetic issues). I recently transferred to this ambulance service and am building information to help my case. Thank you.
 

Hi there, how weird! Plenty of emergency service workers who are type 1/on insulin, work solo. I will try to copy & paste the policy (which refers to disabilities rather than diabetes as a stand alone condition) but I am working from home at the moment. The NHS I'm sure would have an identical policy, have you asked for an updated personal risk assessment because of this disability (which comes under the act)? That forces them to list the exact perceived risks and what they've done to minimise them. A blanket restriction is most definitely NOT within the policy. x
 
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Yeah it's very strange isn't it! I've got the latest policy from them and they are sticking to it for now. But I am in the stages of fighting against it. Yes I've had the risk assessment. If you get the time to find that policy it would be a massive help. Thanks again
 

Hi there, I've sent you a private message, pls let me know if you've now got that info. x
 

Hfisk, I don't have any wisdom to add to your thread, except to suggest you consider putting a call into the Diabetes UK Helpline? They can be quite helpful with employment matters.

This link should take you to their contact details. You don't have to be a member to call: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/how_we_...tPTYeXjQRIlIGu_kL0yhMjJ4HmcfjHYMaAsAoEALw_wcB

Good luck with it all. It must be like having your wings clipped.
 
Have you contacted your union? Your trust legally can’t do a blanket ban on all T1s working solo, they have to do individual risk assessments for each case.
 
I’m an AFO and type 1. I think it depends on the force as to thresholds and requirements that need to be met.
 
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