Cornwall mother and son receive police award for work supporting neurodivergent community
Marie Hutchinson-Ralph and her son Malachi Tasker-Ralph
Last updated 23rd Feb 2026
A mother and son from Cornwall have been formally recognised by Devon and Cornwall Police for their work aimed at improving support for people who are neurodivergent across the force.
Marie Hutchinson-Ralph and her son Malachi Tasker-Ralph have played a significant role as advocates for the neurodivergent community, collaborating closely with the force over a number of years.
They have carried out bespoke training sessions, webinars, and led local projects aimed at enhancing the force’s approach to communication, care and response to individuals who are neurodivergent.
PC John Holland, who has worked with the duo, said: “Our officers will of course attend emergencies and/or chat to people who are neurodivergent whilst out in the community.
“That’s why work like this is vital - Marie and Malachi provide a powerful insight through their lived experience to the force around policing, which forms part of the invaluable training they have supported in delivering to our officers and staff.
“Listening to the voices of everyone in our communities is essential - it means we can police our communities in the way they want to be policed, always putting the person at the centre of our response and building inclusive relationships.”
Marie and Malachi have supported with delivering inputs to the force around ‘thinking about people who think differently’ and more recently led a ‘Keep calm, it’s only Tourettes’ webinar for the College of Policing which was attended by officers and police colleagues from around the UK.
They were also advocates for the launch of 'Neurodiversity IDs' (NDIDs) in 2025, whch are green wristbands designed to assist emergency responders in providing the right help to individuals who are neurodivergent.
The pair received a Chief Superintendent’s Certificate on Wednesday, 11th February, in St Austell, acknowledging their contribution to policing and their community.
Marie and Malachi said: "We are deeply honoured to receive this recognition from Devon & Cornwall Police.
"It means a great deal to us both, not only personally but for the wider neurodivergent community whose insights and experiences shape positive change.
"True progress happens when communities are listened to and worked with and when collaboration replaces assumption and learning is shared in every direction.
"We’re grateful to everyone within the force who has engaged with this work with such openness and care, and we look forward to continuing to build safer, more understanding, and inclusive communities together."
Malachi, following his mother’s path, also recently earned the British Citizen Award Medal of Honour for Services to Education (BCAe) due to his efforts in promoting awareness for Tourette’s and autism acceptance in the UK.
They are the only mother and son to receive the award.
Chief Superintendent Scott Bradley, who presented the award, said: “Malachi and Marie’s inputs have given and continue to give us the knowledge we need to make sure our response and communication is appropriate from the very first moment we engage any member of the public.
“We know that we haven’t always got it right in the past, but we are continually striving to do better and be better so that we can progress and improve the service we provide to the neurodivergent community.”