Police forces across England plan to respond to fewer mental health calls -- here's why
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has announced that the London police force is to attend fewer mental health emergencies.
- The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has announced that the London police force is to attend fewer mental health emergencies.
- As part of an approach called Right Care, Right Person, police officers will only respond to 999 mental health calls when there is an “immediate threat to life”.
- For many years now there have been calls, from people both within the police and those experiencing mental health crises, for the police to have less of a role in mental health emergencies.
- Under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, police officers can detain someone if they believe that person’s mental health is causing an immediate risk to the person or others.
Emergency response
- And in 2021/22, Mind noted that the equivalent of the population of a British town was picked up by the police in this way.
- Yearly numbers of Section 136 detentions in England and Wales from 2017/18 to 2021/22: Scotland’s reform was prompted by similar rising numbers.
- In 2019 four in every five 999 calls to Police Scotland were reportedly not about crime but vulnerability.
A traumatic experience
- Police cells were never the right place for someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
- This is as humiliating for the people being escorted as it is demoralising for the officers involved.
- The idea behind Right Care, Right Person is that people in crisis be cared for by mental health professionals.
- Since 2013, mental health nurses have joined police officers in street triage schemes, accompanying them on patrol to provide immediate mental health support to people.
- Being frequently detained by the police – without proper, long-term mental health support – makes vulnerable people feel worse.
- In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.