26-05-2025
Push for police to be removed from mental health crisis responses
Lives on both sides are being lost when police respond to people experiencing mental health crises.
And now there are calls for police to be removed from the response process altogether.
Human rights law firm National Justice Project is leading a campaign to get the federal and state governments to back a complete health-led response.
Spokeswoman Chloe Fragos says that would mean trained mental health professionals attending incidents where someone is in crisis.
"What we're seeing in New South Wales is roughly 43 per cent of people who are either killed or harmed by police were experiencing a mental health crisis at the time," Ms Fragos told 7.30.
"In Victoria every 10 minutes someone is in need of mental health assistance,that is then being responded to by police.
"I think ultimately what we are seeking is to have policy courage in this space to really explore an alternative first responder model."
South Australia's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens is the first to admit his officers aren't often best-placed to deal with someone in a mental health crisis and that alternative options are needed.
"Police are not qualified as mental health clinicians," Commissioner Stevens told 7.30.
"It can be the uniform, it can be if it is a high-risk response and we are attending with lights and sirens, if it's more than one patrol, all of these things can have a significant impact on the person who is experiencing that mental health episode.
It's also a resource-intense response, and one Commissioner Stevens says needs to be alleviated.
"It could be days that we are providing a hospital guard to ensure the safety of the person who is under observation, and the other people who are in that hospital environment as well," he said.
Last year South Australia police responded to 10,852 designated mental health incidents — a 26 per cent increase over a five-year period.
It took 23,666 hours to deal with those incidents — a 108 per cent increase since 2019.
"You can't get away from the fact that if we are undertaking mental health taskings, we're not doing something else,Commissioner Stevens said.
"And that something else may simply be proactive patrolling to prevent crime or to intervene early when we detect things that have not yet been reported to police."
South Australia is among states trialling a co-responder model, where police are accompanied by experienced clinicians when attending some mental health incidents.
But the National Justice Project wants police to be removed from the response altogether.
"The most important thing that makes this different to the use of police is that we have no weapons, we have no use of force, and that there's a focus on keeping that person safe and also keeping anyone else that may be affected by this response safe as well," Ms Fragos said.
But Commissioner Stevens said a health-led response would not be practical in all situations, such as when weapons are involved.
Emergency responses are being examined as part of an inquest underway into the 2024 Bondi Junction attack. Six people were fatally stabbed by mentally ill man Joel Cauchi before he was shot and killed by a NSW Police officer.
"If it was a health-led response in the Bondi Junction scenario, the very first thing they do would be call police, which is entirely appropriate," Commissioner Stevens said.
Commissioner Stevens knows how dangerous mental health incidents can be for his officers.
In 2023 Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig was the first South Australian police officer to be killed in the line of duty in more than 20 years. He was involved in a shootout with a man who had undiagnosed schizophrenia.
"You don't know what's going to happen when you walk through a door," Commissioner Stevens said.
"You don't know what is going to happen when you confront an agitated person."
"There are, sadly, too many examples of police officers who have been injured or fatally wounded as a result of doing their job and responding to those types of incidents.
"People are still mourning the loss of Jason. He was a good bloke."
Brevet Sergeant Doig and two colleagues were called to an isolated property near the South Australia-Victoria border. They had been tasked to respond following a concerned phone call that a dog had been shot.
While searching the property, 26-year-old Jaydn Stimson appeared with a firearm and started shooting.
Brevet Sergeant Doig died at the scene.
His brother Brett told 7.30 his family remains heartbroken.
"We still have our past, we still have our memories [but] what we don't have now is the future," Brett Doig said.
Stimson was initially charged with Brevet Sergeant Doig's murder but last month was found not guilty, due to mental incompetence.
"I think we were prepared for that because I'd been warned, many, many, many months ago that that's probably the way it was going to go," Mr Doig said.
Mr Doig said he supported alternative responder options being explored to better protect police.
In July he will deliver his victim impact statement to South Australia's Supreme Court.
"Jason was an adventurer," he said.
"He was definitely a great officer.
"Whether he's serving you a fine or you know, taking you back to the station in the van, he was still fair about it.
"The legacy, he's already got it, because he's been remembered."
The NSW government has said it is examining alternative responses but that police will always attend incidents where weapons are involved.
Victoria Police said it supported the introduction of a health-led response to emergency mental health crises and would continue to work towards reducing involvement from police.
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