Health, not haste

The Police provide a critical role in helping people access mental health support and ensuring their safety during what is often one of the toughest moments in a person’s life, and an incredibly stressful time for their loved ones.    

But from the middle of this month, the Police will push ahead with the next stage of their planned transition away from this work. Running in parallel, Police and health agencies have started to develop a five-year transition plan that began last year. Moving from a police response to a health response to mental health crisis is good in theory, but very little has been done to fill the gap on the ground. There is no alternative to the Police yet in place and until there is, police withdrawal is irresponsible. 

I get it. It’s not the Police’s core job to respond to most mental health callouts, especially where there is no risk to life or safety. They don’t have the specialist training required, and their presence, however well-intentioned, can frighten people in distress and escalate the trauma they face.  

We’ve been saying for years that the Police are not the right people. But, for now, they’re the best we’ve got. 

The Government can fix this – specifically, the Minister of Police, Mark Mitchell, and the Minister for Mental Health, Matt Doocey.  

However, I don’t have confidence in whatever plan these Ministers will claim to have. There’s no evidence of a detailed health plan or alternative mental health crisis service, and no funding commitment to support either one.  

Instead, there’s a broad and vague assumption that the mental health system will somehow plug the gaps that the planned Police withdrawal will create. This is frankly ridiculous. Health is stretched beyond capacity. Staff vacancies are growing and emergency departments, which will see the next stage of reduced police support, are massively under the pump. The 70,000 New Zealanders and their families who currently call the police when they need support, deserve a well-resourced, properly funded mental health response service. These are vulnerable people who deserve our compassion and care.  

Replacing Police involvement to mental health responses will require a range of funded initiatives. For example, we want a crisis response that involves trained mental health professionals, peer support workers, paramedics, social workers and community-led teams. Responders who have specialist training to de-escalate distress and reduce the risk of unnecessary force or restraint.  

We know this approach works. There have been successful trials underway both in Aotearoa and internationally. But it will take at least three to five years of solid investment and training to build this workforce and system nationally. Until it is fully built, it is dangerous and ill-considered for Police to be stepping back.   

There’s been a similar move by Police in the UK. But there the government invested an extra £1 billion a year to replace police officers, including funding specialist mental health ambulances, and crisis cafés where people struggling to cope can drop in for help.