Merseyside Police support 'Mental Health Awareness Week'
MERSEYSIDE Police are continuing to
support Mersey Care and mental health services across the region during Mental
Health Awareness Week.
The force has long been part of multi agency health agreement and works with
partners to deliver a high quality response, as well as to improve the system of
care, to support those with mental health problems.
One in four calls to Merseyside Police is linked to mental health in some way
and the force is continually working to ensure that all those experiencing
mental ill health get the right care and support at the right time, without
being criminalised, stigmatised or put in a position of fear.
Detective Superintendent Tim Keelan said:- "Mental health is everyone's
business and as a Police force we have a duty to the public to ensure our
officers are able to provide the best possible service to those suffering mental
health issues. As well as a dedicated mental health liaison officer, the force
has worked closely with our partners to provide better training for our staff,
to ensure we offer the right care and support at the right time."
Although the force have always taken individuals detained under S136 Mental
Health Act to health based places of safety rather than Police cells, in 2012,
the force began a collaborative piece of work with Mersey care to improve the
process around the use of Section 136. Reports indicate that responding to those
with mental health needs can account for up to 20% of Police time, when in many
cases these individuals require help from health and social care agencies, not
the Police.
Tim added:- "Our officers frequently come into contact with people who may
have mental health issues. It is always a carefully considered decision before
someone who is suffering mental ill health is taken into custody and our
approach has been recognised as best practice by the HMIC."
In 2014, Merseyside Police and Mersey Care NHS Trust also launched a Triage Car.
The car is a mobile service, whereby an officer and psychiatric nurse are able
to provide an on-the-spot assessment and advice.
Tim continued:- "The safety and wellbeing of people believed to have
mental health issues is paramount, and we need to continue working together to
continue to improve the way we respond to the most vulnerable in society."
Joe Rafferty, Mersey Care's chief executive, said:- "I know Merseyside
Police Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, is as pleased as I am about the excellent
working partnership between Mersey Care and the Police. She has been
particularly impressed that patients detained on Section 136 have reduced by
over 40% since the introduction of street cars. She is also impressed with the
excellent reputation of our Criminal Justice Liaison Team has in making what are
often very complex, inter-agency relationships operate smoothly. In many ways
when people with mental illness encounter the criminal justice system, there is
a potential for stigma to rapidly and destructively emerge. We are very lucky in
Mersey Care to have this team creating the sort of high level partnership
working that is a national exemplar and which keeps so many vulnerable people
safe."
Merseyside's Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said:- "It is a sad fact
that more than 20% of all calls for assistance to Merseyside Police have mental
health as the cause and officers are very often on the frontline of care. These
calls often don't appear in the crime statistics but nonetheless the Police have
to respond. A prison cell is never the right place for anyone suffering a mental
health crisis. Next week is Mental Health Awareness Week and it is an
opportunity to remind ourselves how vulnerable such people often are. We know it
is vital that those suffering a mental health crisis get the right support and
care, at the right time and in the right place. This can only be done if all the
agencies, the Police, NHS and all their partners pool resources and work
together and I am pleased to say we are doing that very effectively here on
Merseyside. Merseyside Police has a dedicated mental health liaison officer, and
thanks to their work with Mersey Care NHS Trust, we now have a team of mental
health nurses working within the custody suites and a mental health Triage Car
which supports people at the moment of crisis. These initiatives are saving
officers' time, reducing costs and hospital waiting times but, most importantly,
they are giving people who may be at their lowest ebb, the care and support they
need."
