Lincolnshire Police have attended more than 12,000 calls reporting concerns for safety in the past year – equating to over 1,000 mental health call-outs every month.
It comes as the force, along with other local agencies, examines ways to mitigate policing incidents related to mental health, writes Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Jaines.
A new “Right Care, Right Person” scheme aims to adopt a multi-agency approach to address these concerns and ensure that when calls come to police, there is appropriate triage.
Deputy chief constable Julia Debenham, highlighted the national significance of the topic during a brief update to the meeting of Lincolnshire County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board.
She said: “There’s significant national commentary on this topic, primarily because there’s a perception that resources spent on policing could be better utilised elsewhere.
“It is a team response to see how we can make it work locally, so that we’re not losing people in the system.”
Following the meeting, a police spokesman confirmed Lincolnshire officers attended 12,216 calls reporting a concern for safety in the previous 12 months.
They said a collaborative response was essential to ensure that individuals do not fall through the cracks.
“At the heart of Right Care, Right Person is a motivation to make sure that people receive the most appropriate care from the right agency,” Lincolnshire Police said. “The police are not always the right agency to respond to all incidents, and in some circumstances our partners in health and social care are better placed.”
However, they confirmed officers would still attend incidents where there is a real and immediate threat to life because of criminal behaviour, and would continue to meet their obligations under S136 of the Mental Health Act.
“We have local police policies in place in terms of concern for safety, which identifies when we have a legal obligation to respond to a real and immediate threat to life.
“We also have mental health practitioners working in partnership with the staff within the Force Control Room, who can advise officers dealing with incidents in which there is a potential mental health element.”
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has specialist expertise in mental health, dementia, learning disabilities and autism.
Sarah Connery, chief executive of Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, echoed the sentiment of police, stating: “We have excellent working relationships with Lincolnshire Police and are working closely with them to explore the new approach and its implementation.”
She further highlighted the commitment from all agencies to provide appropriate support when people are at their most vulnerable. However, the challenge remains in allocating resources effectively.
There have been numerous efforts to help alleviate the pressures of mental health on Lincolnshire Police over the years.
In 2017, a mental health nurse was included in a new £60,000 initiative that saw nurses deployed in Lincolnshire Police’s control room to assist with incidents involving mental health and a specialist mental health response vehicle was also deployed.
