Is the Met making the right decision? From September, it will only attend 999 calls linked to mental health where there is an 'immediate threat to life'.
The Met Police's plan to stop attending emergency mental health incidents is "potentially alarming", a former inspector of constabulary has said.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wrote to health and social care services in Greater London to inform them of the plan last week,In the letter, which has been seen by the BBC, Sir Mark said it takes almost 23 hours on average from the point at which someone is detained under the Mental Health Act until they are handed into medical care.
She expressed doubts about the timeframe set by the Met for the change, adding that she would be "very surprised" if mental health trusts across London are able to get extra round-the-clock mental health facilities up and running by 31 August.Ken Marsh, chairman of the Met Police Federation - which represent officers up to the rank of chief inspector - broadly welcomed the announcement.
She authored a 2018 study which looked at the increasing demands mental health crises were putting on police, including: Attending mental health crises, including where someone is threatening to take their own life, in order to close roads, speak to them, or protect the publicIn March, Sir Mark Rowley told BBC Newsnight that the staff hours involved in policing mental health is equivalent to dealing with 500,000 victims of domestic abuse.
He continued: "We don't have those resources at the current time. We also have a workforce crisis in the health service. We can't just pluck new members of staff from nowhere. "Community welfare" implies a far broader responsibility than simply investigating crimes and catching villains.
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