Mental health and prevention
In our Westminster system of governance and law, police are bound to prevent crime (and if that fails), investigate and prosecute offences. The prevention of crime is a fundamental part of policing which goes all the way back to Sir Robert Peel in 1829.
Sir Robert Peel's Principles of Law Enforcement 1829
1.The basic mission for which police exist is to prevent crime and disorder as an alternative to the repression of crime and disorder by military force and severity of legal punishment.
Policing is the only 24/7 social agency prepared to deal with anything it encounters. How does a modern-day police officer cope with persons who are mentally unwell but not committing any offences (yet). The following are actual events which took place a few years ago in South Auckland and highlights issues faced by police then and now, particularly with prevention in mind.
Night shift, winter and called to deal with a domestic incident in a residential address. A 20 something heavily built man was living with his grandmother as his parents could not cope with him. The reason his parents couldn’t cope were many, but included schizophrenia brought on by drug and alcohol abuse. By all accounts he was a gentle person when sober. This particular night he wasn’t either. His grandmother was afraid of him. He was exhibiting unusual behaviour which bordered on being aggressive.
I had called mental health services, who refused to attend as he was under the influence of drugs. Other agencies weren't interested. No one including parents and friends would take him in for the night. They knew his history for assaulting people when in this state. His behaviour hadn’t stepped over the mark into anything criminal. He starred at his grandmother and used aggressive language towards her. Grandma was scared and didn’t want him in the house overnight. He was refusing to leave as it was his home. What would you do?
Front line policing is all about managing risks. Whilst in his dwelling, his language was insufficient to enact Summary Offences Act 1981 (SOA) as we were not in or within hearing of a public place. I got him to turn his attentions to me and made a couple of remarks which wound him up a little. He became fixated on me and followed me out onto the road. He was now in a public place and subject to the SOA language provisions which I promptly arrested him for. He needed care and attention that night, as did his grandmother.
The following day, mental health services were called and did attend as he was no longer under the influence of drugs. This young man then got the treatment he needed. I knew full well that there were risks in using this strategy, but when societies mental health services refuse to deal with this, there is little choice for frontline officers.
Until society takes a more open, pragmatic, preventative approach to mental health issues, situations like this will continue to occur around NZ. It is a health issue that no-one wants to deal with so police have to by default, as they must do everything in their powers to prevent offending.
Thanks to Tim Marshall and Unsplash for the photo