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Police ‘pick up the pieces of a broken mental health system’

by Mark Rowe

Police officers are increasingly being used as the service of default in responding to people with mental health problems, according to a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. The report, titled Policing and Mental Health: Picking Up the Pieces, questions whether the police should be so involved in responding to mental health problems.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said: “Police officers naturally want to respond and do their best to support vulnerable people when they ask for help. And we found that police officers respond to those with mental health problems with care and compassion. But we cannot expect the police to pick up the pieces of a broken mental health system. Over-stretched and all-too-often overwhelmed police officers can’t always respond appropriately, and people in mental health crisis don’t always get the help they need.

“People in crisis with mental health problems need expert support – support that can’t be carried out in the back of a police car or by locking them into a police cell.

“All too often, the system is failing people when they most need help. This is not a problem that the police alone can solve. Other services need to stop relying on the 24/7 availability of the police.

“We have grave concerns about whether the police should be involved in responding to mental health problems to the degree they are. Fundamental change is needed urgently in the way those with mental health problems are supported by the state. The police should be the last resort, not the first port of call.”

The report found a general lack of understanding by forces of the extent and nature of their mental health demand. It still isn’t clear what percentage of all calls to police are mental health-related. A few people with mental health concerns can take up a lot of police time and bodies; the top five individual repeat callers to the Metropolitan Police all have mental health problems and called the force a combined total of 8,655 times last year, costing the service £70,000 just to answer the calls.

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon said around 20pc of Wiltshire Police demand now comes from incidents relating to mental health.

The inspectors pointed to cases of police transporting someone to hospital because an ambulance isn’t available; waiting with someone in hospital until a secure mental health place is found; and checking on someone where there is concern for their safety. For the report, visit the HMICFRS website.

Comments

For the Police Federation, chair John Apter said: “Society can be measured by the way it treats its most vulnerable. As ever, my members are doing their very best and providing a high standard of care in increasingly difficult circumstances. But the police service cannot be a panacea for society’s problems. Something must be done to alleviate this situation and it must be done now.”

At the National Police Chiefs’ Council, NPCC lead for Mental Health and Policing, Chief Constable Mark Collins said: “We share Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ concerns that too many people are being directed to police where they should instead be receiving expert support from healthcare professionals. We are pleased to see recognition of the care and compassion shown by officers across the country for those facing mental ill health.

“The report recognises that police forces have improved their ability to intervene and offer the appropriate support during mental health emergencies.

“There is a well-established dialogue between partners to build lasting support networks and we will work closely with the NHS and others to implement the recommendations in the review, with the aim of helping those facing mental health emergencies getting the assistance they need in line with their care needs.

“It is right that the police are there to protect those in immediate danger, but they shouldn’t become the first point of call for those who need longer term mental health support and access to prevention measures.”

And for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) Mental Health Lead, Matthew Scott PCC, who represented the APCC on the review panel, said police cells should not be used to keep someone safe when they are detained under the Mental Health Act.

“People experiencing mental ill health need the right care from the right person at the right time. That also means the right place. And whilst police officers will and do always do their best to help, this care is better provided in a health setting not a police cell, and by trained professionals not police officers.

“Members of the public rightly want the police out fighting crime, not picking up the pieces for other agencies. I hope that with these reforms, and the extra investment the Government is putting into crisis services, we can get people the care they need and reduce demand on policing.”

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