Met commander for public protection Kevin Southworth said that before RCRP, mental health calls were putting 'a huge strain on our frontline'. Now he said arrests are 'averaging less than 400 s136 detentions'. Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of the charity Mind, questioned how the reduction in s136 arrests had been achieved. 'I do wonder where those additional 300 people have gone, because those needs don't disappear overnight, and I guess that is the deep and profound concern that we have', she said.
'The police won't necessarily know what is a mental health issue or not, until they get there and are able to assess the situation,' said Dr Hughes. 'I think it's difficult in relation to assessing whether things are life and death - so, if somebody's at risk of suicide. Again, you won't know the risk until the person's in front of you.'
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