What's happened
Police Scotland's Chief Constable Jo Farrell and the Metropolitan Police are facing overwhelming demands from failing mental health services and inefficient court systems. Farrell calls for other agencies to step up and allow officers to focus on core policing duties. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have withdrawn from thousands of NHS mental health calls to prioritize frontline policing, sparking concerns over potential risks to lives.
What's behind the headline?
What the papers say
Jo Farrell of Police Scotland emphasizes the need for reform, stating 'If somebody's threatening themselves or a danger to other people, that's absolutely where the police should be.' The Metropolitan Police's Right Care Right Person scheme has saved officer hours, but charities warn it could endanger lives. Detective Superintendent Alistair Vanner notes a reduction in harm to mental health patients due to the scheme.
How we got here
Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police have been grappling with increasing demands from failing mental health services and inefficient court systems. The Right Care Right Person scheme was introduced by the Metropolitan Police to reduce time spent on mental health calls and prioritize crime-fighting efforts.
Go deeper
- How are failing mental health services impacting police forces in the UK?
- What are the potential risks associated with the Metropolitan Police's withdrawal from NHS mental health calls?
- How can individuals support efforts to reform mental health services and the judicial system to alleviate the burden on law enforcement?
Common question
More on these topics
-
Police Scotland, legally named the Police Service of Scotland, is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013 with the merger of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottish Police Services
-
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the United States. With 6,479,548 visitors to its three locations in 2019, it was the fourth most visited art museum in the world.
-
Joanna Farrell (born 1968/69) is a British police officer, and current Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary. She is the Chief Constable-designate of Police Scotland. On 14 June 2023, it was announced that she had been appointed as Police Scotland's...