DORSET Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill chaired a workshop examining mental health issues.
The Association of PCCs meeting looked at reducing the criminal justice system’s use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act to deal with offenders with mental health issues.
“We need to make sure that the vulnerable receive the right care, at the right time and in the right place,” Mr Underhill said.
“They need to be looked after by a health care professional, not by a police officer and not in a police cell.”
He said police had a ‘critical’ role in helping people during a mental health crisis, but added that ‘their role should be to identify the vulnerable and flag up issues to agencies’.
The APCC is working alongside support services nationwide on the Mental Health Concordat, which is intended to ensure urgent professional mental health care is available at all times.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here