Mental health nurses to join police on the streets in pilot scheme
March 28, 2014
England
In Yorkshire, England, a new program has been launched to reduce the number of people detained by police when they could more appropriately be referred to mental health services. When police suspect that a person they are dealing with has a mental illness, trained mental health nurses are called to the scene to assess whether the person needs help from mental health, social care, or other support services. Known as “street triage,” the program has been successfully piloted elsewhere in England, and is a joint initiative of law enforcement and mental health agencies. Dave Jones, Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Police officers are regularly called to incidents involving people who are in need of care and support, but often have no option other than to take them into police custody for their own and other people’s safety. The street triage project means that they will receive immediate and appropriate help on the spot.”
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