Dedicated cars will help police provide better mental health care in Essex
Mental health professionals will be on hand across Essex to provide the best possible care at peak times.
Essex Police has launched a pilot project with the NHS to provide extra support on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from 6pm to 2am.
Four cars staffed by trained police officers and mental health professionals will be available at these times, which have been identified as peak times for people with mental health problems being taken into police care.
The cars will be based in Colchester, Basildon, Rochford and Harlow, but will attend incidents across the county.
A dedicated mental health helpline will also be available from Monday to Thursday, from 6pm to 2am, allowing police to get advice and support from experts.
The pilot scheme, which will run until March 31, aims to reduce the number of people detained under the Mental Health Act.
DCI Tom Simons, from the Public Protection Command, said: “The street triage pilot is an innovative and proactive approach to reduce the numbers of individuals detained unnecessarily under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and provide a better response to those in mental health crisis.”
Credit: The Gazzette News
Dedicated cars will help police provide better mental health care
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