STATES police officers are spending more time catching criminals and keeping the streets safe following a huge reduction in the number of mental-health welfare call-outs, the police chief has said.
Robin Smith commended the progress made in a new partnership with mental-health services which has seen police involvement in crisis episodes plummet by 33%.
He told the JEP that the significant drop freed up time for officers to “do the job Islanders expect them to do”.
Chief Inspector Mark Hafey said that a “crucial need for change” was highlighted in 2022, when officers managed 1,464 mental-health incidents.
The latest annual police report warned that this was placing “pressure on police response capacity”, as each situation could take several hours to resolve.
Last year it emerged that the force was adopting a new approach – mirroring one being rolled out across England and Wales – in which officers would no longer be routinely sent to mental-health incidents unless there was a risk to life, or a crime was being committed.
Instead, when concerns are raised by the public – but risk assessments determine there is no need to send police officers – controllers directly contact the Mental Heath Crisis Team.
Ch Insp Hafey said: “The success we’ve seen – 981 mental-health incidents in 2023, a reduction of 33% – stems from several key initiatives. The partnership with the Mental Health Service is crucial. Moreover, the expertise of our call takers in the Emergency Services Control Centre ensures that those in crisis receive the right support at the right time.”
Article 36 of Jersey’s Mental Health Law allows a police officer to remove a person from a public place if the officer believes that the person is suffering from a mental disorder and is in immediate need of care or control.
Mental Health and Adult Social Care director Andy Weir said: “Since 2022 we have developed a strong partnership with the police and worked together to reduce their involvement in mental-health crises, where appropriate, and the use of Article 36 detention by the police. During 2023, Article 36 use and police involvement in reported mental-health cases reduced by around 30%. This is a significant improvement.”
He added: “A number of factors have contributed to this reduction, including a joined-up approach and awareness raising. We also redesigned our crisis team, which now aims to see Islanders within four hours.”
Mr Smith said that, from the end of 2022, the force had contended with a year of “unprecedented demand” in relation to ongoing investigations into major incidents and tragedies, on top of its day-to-day police activities.
He added: “Where we are able to free up time and prevent wasted time, while ensuring Islanders are receiving the right care from the right people, it means that police are doing the job that Islanders expect them to do – catch criminals, respond quickly and provide reassurance.”
Although he said there was “still work to be done”, he gave credit to Mr Weir and his team for the “genuine collaboration” that had helped to achieve the reduction so far.
