Allerdale Police has praised a 'dedicated' and 'passionate' police officer following comments criticising his grammar on social media. 

The comments were made on a post written by PCSO Pete Nichol on Allerdale Police's Facebook page and have prompted the force to write a response defending PCSO Nichol. 

They also revealed that he is dyslexic and has overcome a number of challenges to succeed in his role whilst also championing those in the community who are neurodiverse.

PCSO Nichol works as part of the Allerdale Neighbourhood Policing Team and 'strives to serve his community and make Cumbria safe.'

They added that despite the grammatical errors they will not be editing or correcting the post as it highlights 'those with disabilities who have to work hard on a daily basis to cope with.' 

Allerdale Police said: "The officer that published the post, PCSO Pete Nichol, is a dedicated officer and valued member of our Neighbourhood Policing Team, who strives to serve his community and make Cumbria safe.

"Pete champions neurodiversity issues and is passionate in his work providing support to individuals in our community with a range of neurodiverse conditions, preventing them from becoming victims or perpetrators of crime and ASB.

"His work has had a huge and positive impact on the lives of many residents across our towns.

"PCSO Nichol is also dyslexic and has overcome numerous personal challenges to succeed in his role.

"Writing these posts does not come naturally to him, but he is keen to do so to highlight the excellent work he does on a daily basis to serve his community.

"The reason we will not be editing this post as we believe it highlights those with hidden disabilities who have to work hard on a daily basis to cope with them.

"We hope that PCSO Nichol's achievements serve as an inspiration to others."

T/Superintendent Annette McClement from Cumberland BCU added: "PCSO Pete Nichol and all our neighbourhood policing teams work hard to update our communities on social media.

"Pete provides vital updates to our communities on issues that are important to them. Pete does this when it does not come naturally to him which I can empathise with as I am also dyslexic.

"He also works hard to support and inspire others through his own experiences."