New RCRP model won't stop North Yorkshire Police Attending Serious Mental Health Incidents

Sunday, 6 August 2023 06:00

By Charlie Hopper

North Yorkshire Police say that the introduction of a new response model doesn't mean that they will stop attending serious mental health incidents.

The new Right care Right person model that is being rolled out nationally means the police will be referring some incidents onto health professionals.

But the Chief constable, Lisa Winward, says police offers will still respond to emergency incidents.

The model is designed to ensure that the when there are concern's for a person's welfare linked to mental health, medical or social care issues, the right person with the appropriate skills, training and experience will respond to the issue.

Lisa Winward says that it's about making sure that the right people are called to the appropriate incidents.

The threshold for police intervention is:

There is an immediate risk to life or serious harm to an identified person
Immediate harm – it is obvious to the police that there is a risk to life presently, at this moment or in the immediate future or has already occurred
Serious harm – there is a risk of significant harm to the person concerned, this can be physical harm, serious neglect issues, significant mental health symptoms, all of which would amount to the suffering of potential significant injuries or psychological harm

Lisa Winward confirms that since the introduction of the model, it has saved thousands of police work hours.