Author: Victoria (AUS). Office of Police Integrity
Title: Policing People Who Appear to be Mentally Ill
Summary: This report sets out the findings of a review by the Office of Police Integrity (OPI) into the way Victoria Police responds to people who appear to have a mental illness. In 2009 the Victorian Auditor General’s Office completed a review into interagency coordination, preparedness and effectiveness in responding to mental health crises. OPI’s review follows on from the Auditor General’s report and assesses whether more could be done to enhance Victoria Police’s responses to people who appear to have a mental illness. The interaction between police and people who appear to be mentally ill is a well- established one. In Victoria the over-representation of people who have a mental illness in fatal police shootings is extensively documented. Although this over-representation remains concerning, it overshadows the more routine nature of interactions between police and people who appear to have a mental illness. These interactions are remarkably frequent. According to recently published research, police in Victoria report that in any average week they regularly come into contact with people who appear to have a mental illness.1 Fifty percent of police reported this occurs one to two times a week, with more than a third of police reporting between three and ten encounters. As well as occurring frequently these interactions are often time consuming and complex in nature. This is not unique to Victoria. As this report sets out, the relatively high proportion of police encounters with people who appear to have a mental illness is in large part the product of deinstitutionalisation. Beginning in the 1960s in Victoria, deinstitutionalisation rapidly escalated in the 1980s and 1990s. Whilst well intentioned, as has been the case internationally, the closure of institutionalised settings did not occur in tandem with adequate provision of community based mental health services. This has led to at times dramatic consequences. An unacceptable over-representation of mentally ill persons in fatal shootings by Victoria Police in the late 1980s and 1990s attests to this. Victoria Police responded to these concerning statistics effectively in the form of Project Beacon in 1996. The key message underpinning the philosophy of this intervention was that the success of an operation will primarily be judged by the extent to which the use of force is avoided or minimised. Following this initiative the effectiveness of this message has at times waned. This review and previous reports by OPI have emphasised this: while it is important to learn lessons, it is incumbent on Victoria Police to ensure that these lessons are remembered. The review included an examination of academic literature about established best practice in delivering policing services to people who appear to have a mental illness. Different models used by police in other jurisdictions are considered in this report. In a context of finite resources to respond to people who appear to be experiencing a mental health crisis, innovative service delivery is required to ensure that responses are effective and efficient. On this measure, Victoria Police has delivered positive initiatives on a trial basis which have improved responsiveness to people in these situations. The Police Ambulance and Clinical Early Response (PACER) program has constituted a unique and effective way to provide onsite assistance to people who appear to have a mental illness while also easing the strain on emergency departments and other mental health services. Notwithstanding this the original PACER program has concluded and its future status is uncertain. A variation was recently trialled in conjunction with the Alfred Hospital and a similar pilot is currently underway at Eastern Health. Any long-term commitment beyond the life of these pilots by the Department of Health or Area Mental Health Services remains uncertain. This emphasises the need for Victoria Police to further consider other frameworks or models to respond to people who appear to have a mental illness. PACER is only one such model. The current position of the Department of Health requires Victoria Police to consider other alternatives. This review considered the recommendations arising from a large scale collaborative research project between Monash University, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) and Victoria Police. The ‘Police Responses to the Interface with Mental Disorder’ project investigated Victoria Police practices, policies and procedures in dealing with people who appear to have a mental illness and interactions with other mental health services. One of the key recommendations arising from this project was the establishment of a dedicated facility where people experiencing mental health crises can be taken for immediate assessment and care. OPI’s review has considered the merits of this recommendation. The establishment of such a facility could promote better care and emergency treatment for people who have an acute mental episode in metropolitan Melbourne, while easing the strain on resources that police and some emergency departments currently experience. Although this review focused on the police response to people who appear to be mentally ill, the findings of this review indicate that there is still room for improving the understanding across agencies about the different roles and responsibilities police, paramedics, hospital emergency department staff and mental health practitioners have in these situations. Police have a key responsibility to ensure the safety of people threatening harm to themselves or others. Where the person threatening harm appears to be mentally ill, the focus of any response should be on health and harm minimisation principles. In this context health practitioners have a primary responsibility to respond. The role of police is to support their response. For example, police may be required to take action to ensure the safety and welfare of not only the person appearing to be mentally ill but also mental health service providers, paramedics, staff in hospital emergency departments and members of the public in the vicinity of the person. Experience demonstrates the best responses to people experiencing a mental health crisis in the community require multi-agency cooperation and collaboration at a local, regional and state level. Ensuring cooperation across health, welfare, community support and emergency services and the provision of professional, timely and safe responses to people who have a mental illness and their carers is not the sole responsibility of police. It is a whole-of-government issue requiring whole-of-government consideration and response.
Details: Melbourne: Office of Police Integrity, 2012. 60p.
Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2012 at: www.opi.vic.gov.au
Year: 2012
Country: Australia
URL:
Shelf Number: 126943
Keywords:
Mentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill Persons (Australia)Police Services for the Mentally Ill |
