Chief Superintendent Chris Sykes has been invited to the meeting to discuss the impact of mental ill-health on the work of the Police in Stockport.
Minutes:
Chief Superintendent Chris Sykes, Commander of J Division of Greater Manchester Police, attended the meeting to discuss the impact of mental health on the work of the Police.
Ch. Supt Sykes gave an overview of some of the issues affecting the Police in Stockport. The issues included:-
· When taking up post in Stockport, feedback from officers within the Division was that a significant proportion of their work was connected to individuals with mental health problems. This was at odds with the priorities of the public and their perceptions about the role of the Police.
· There was a culture developing within the Force that lead officers to get involved in situations where there was a mental health dimension where previously Police involvement might not have been the case. Often officers were spending time ‘minding’ people until other services or professionals could respond. This may be due to risk aversion on the part of officers who were concerned about consequences should the individual involved come to harm. Examples included response officers waiting in Emergency Departments with individuals seeking assessment or being involved in removing violently mental ill individuals from their homes.
· The Police had systems to identify vulnerable residents and would refer them to other relevant agencies where appropriate. This aspect of the work of the Police was improving, particularly where those with mental health issues were at risk of being victims.
· The Police were committed to reducing demand on the services, such as through the ACT Family project, and by working closely with Stepping Hill Hospital and other NHS Trusts.
· Much of the partnership working aimed at reducing demand was family-centric, whereas in many instances those individuals who came to the attention of the Police and who had mental health problems lived on their own.
· There were a number of questions for the Force about how it responded to issues around mental health: were the legal powers it had used appropriately? Where was the balance to be struck for the Police in involving itself in mental health preventative work and responding to public safety issues? Was the current level of response right and was it cost effective?
Members of the Scrutiny Committee and other attendees then asked questions and made comments.
The following issues were raised:-
· Statistically, Stockport was average in terms of prevalence of mental ill-health and suicide, despite the perception that there were more suicides. The physical environment in Stockport may lead to more public suicide attempts which then prompt police involvement. This structures and physical features were often in areas where those at higher risk were likely to live.
· Training for police officers was vital to ensure that they were able to make the best decisions in difficult situations. Only 20% of individuals presenting at Stepping Hill with mental health issues and accompanied by the Police were admitted. Was this discrepancy due to risk aversion on the part of the Police? There needed to be a balance between enabling officers to respond appropriately and over-training them so that their involvement extends beyond public expectations. Police intervention was often because there was no one else to do it – officers were trained to deal with violent situations but was it always appropriate for them to do so, and does the presence of a uniformed officer make the situation tenser?
· Medical assessment processes in custody were improving, but could be very resource intensive –in some instances the offender was unable to be safely assessed at the station so required transfer to the hospital, with associated officer time in monitoring them. The use of custody suites to allow individual to ‘sleep off’ alcohol was unacceptable, but the alternative would either be passing on costs or leaving individuals at risk in their home. Public criticism of the actions of the Police had affected the response of officers. There was a question about how much of that change was appropriate or justified by the facts.
· There was a link between incidences of mental health related disorder and alcohol. There was increasing efforts to provide alcohol and mental health interventions where people were regularly presenting at acute services.
· Many of the incidents being discussed involved response units, and often were at night. This made follow-up more difficult as the role of these officers was by its nature short-term. The Police recognised that there was room to improve the information it kept on multiple visits to the same individuals so that more appropriate interventions could be made. Officers and other police staff needed the have the skills to identify risks.
· In relation to staff mental health, incidences of absence tended to coincide with particular serious incidences. The Force provided a range of support mechanisms in these circumstances. An increasing challenge for staff in the Force was dealing with personal circumstances, such as partners’ redundancies or other financial worries, which could often have an impact on productivity.
RESOLVED – That Chief Superintendent Sykes be thanked for his attendance and presentation.