Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has created the role of Mental Health Deployment Coordinator to enhance support for those experiencing mental health crises.
Set up to identify the right agency to assist callers, the position aims to free up officer time for front line duties. It's funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner and piloted with South Central Ambulance Service.
Supporting the July 2023 Right Care Right Person initiative, it's anticipated to save approximately a million police officer hours nationwide annually.
PCC Donna Jones said: "The rise in the number of calls coming in that are related to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis is growing every year. That’s putting a lot of pressure on police resources and police time.
"A trained mental health coordinator working in the control room will triage calls swiftly to identify the right agency to support the person in need thereby allowing more police time to be available to respond to the crimes."
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