Almost 1,700 sectioned by officers in one year Patients suffering mental health crisis detained by police

cwebb@thekmgroup.co.uk

Almost 150 people suffering a mental health crisis were detained by police in Canterbury in the space of a year, new figures reveal.

Officers have the power to section anyone who appears to be a risk to themselves or others under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

Almost 1,700 people were admitted for crisis care in Kent using the rule between April 2017 and April 2018.

During this time, 145 people going through a mental health crisis were escorted by police from a public space in Canterbury to either A&E or, as a last resort, a police station.

At the last Kent and Medway police and crime panel meeting, Kent’s crime commissioner Matthew Scott outlined plans to reform section orders.

He explained Kent Police is looking to ensure no one is sent to police cells or transported in police vehicles while in a mental health crisis.

He said: “We all want to do right by people going through a mental health crisis and make sure they get the right treatment from the right people at the right time.”

Mr Scott also shared his concerns officers spend a lot of their time dealing with these vulnerable people rather than fighting crime.

Police can often spend a whole shift waiting for these patients to be seen by mental health professionals.

For some desperate people, section 136 notices are seen as a way to get help quicker, as patients can wait more than 50 days to be referred for treatment.

To tackle the issue, the Kent and Medway NHS social care partnership trust previously launched a triage service in which a mental health nurse patrolled the streets with a police officer three nights a week.

This six-month trial in Medway saw a reduction of section 136 orders as 44 people were referred to alternative treatment.

Over the same period, across Kent there was a 5% increase in section 136 assessments, while in Medway there was a reduction of 19%.

nwhat do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk.

‘We all want to do right by people going through a mental health crisis...’