Today the NSW Police Force released a summary of its review into mental health incidents in the community, more than eleven months after it was first foreshadowed by the Police Commissioner. In a Media Release (attached) the Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism, Yasmine Catley and Minister for Mental Health, Rose Jackson both agreed Police should not be first responders to mental health crises, and that the Government would explore other options, but stopped short of committing to an alternative.
Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said, "NSW Labor continues to echo what the experts have known for years, and yet makes no commitments to make critical changes that will save lives. Something is going very wrong in the Minns Labor Government,"
"This Government is inert and asleep at the wheel when it comes to delivering health professionals as first responders to mental health incidents in the community,"
"The review that has been released today is 5 months old and identifies, in no uncertain terms, that police should not be responding to mental health incidents. Involving the Police increases the risk of adverse outcomes for people experiencing mental health issues and no amount of training for Police will change this,"
"Police are not supposed to do this work, and they don't want to either. Yet this Government has no plan to change things. This review feels like a lead balloon, it does nothing other than talk about the problems,"
"The Government have their finger on the failing pulse of the problem, but they refuse to respond with the right remedy and urgency required. The families of people who were killed by the police deserve better, and we won't stop until the Government understands this,"
"In the UK, they just did it. The Police there threatened to stop showing up to mental health call outs, which saw the introduction of the Right Care, Right Person model, which from all accounts is a good system. When the next Wrong Care, Wrong Person results in the wrongful death by Police, it will be squarely on the Minns Labor Government," Ms Higginson said.
