The Guardian view on the Met’s mental health ultimatum: a deadline is not a solution
The decision last week by the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, that in future his officers will attend emergency calls related to mental health only where a threat to life is feared, was both a wake-up call and a threat. His letter, and deadline of 31 August, have raised the stakes in negotiations with health bosses. The danger is that his combative approach will undermine attempts to find a solution to a problem that no one denies.
In Humberside, a scheme called Right Care, Right Person resulted in 1,100 police officer hours a month being clawed back as health practitioners took over tasks that were previously done by them. The scheme attracted plaudits from the police inspectorate. This is the example that Sir Mark aims to follow as part of his plan to put his discredited force back on its feet.
This is a sound idea. Humberside police has been judged the best force in the country, and successful innovations in public service should be copied. But the Met is a special case. At almost 20 times the size of Humberside’s service, with 43,000 officers, it is a huge organisation with responsibility for policing a growing city of almost 9 million people. Its relationships with local health and care services are far more complicated than in a smaller area. In London, there are five integrated care systems (partnership organisations that plan and deliver care). Given how overstretched these services already are, it is alarming to learn of the capital’s police chief announcing a unilateral withdrawal.
Source: The Guardian, 29 May 2023