Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones says investment in early intervention and better access to mental health services is key to cutting crime.
Earlier this month Island Echo sat down with Donna Jones, Joe Robertson MP and Councillor Karen Lucioni to discuss the Commissioner’s key priorities for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and what work is being done to tackle known issues.
PCC Jones explained how there is a clear link between mental health and criminality, and how failing to address this issue only leads to more victims and greater pressure on policing.
She recognises that people in crisis too often end up in the criminal justice system when what they really need is proper mental health support.
Last year PCC Jones introduced a Mental Health Deployment Coordinator into the control room at Netley to ensure callers experiencing mental health crisis get the right support, but there is still more work that needs to be done.
Donna Jones has said:
“When vulnerable people don’t get the help they need, the consequences can be devastating, not just for them, but for their families, their communities, and society as a whole.
“A person struggling with severe mental health issues might lose their job, their home, or their relationships. In desperation, they may turn to crime, substance abuse, or anti-social behaviour, pulling them further into a downward spiral that becomes harder and harder to escape.
Article continues below this advertisement “Police officers see this reality every day, responding to people in crisis who should be in a hospital or receiving specialist care, not in a cell. It’s about getting the right care to the right person.
Addressing what needs to be done, PCC Jones adds:
“To break this cycle, investment in early intervention and better access to mental health services is key. A society that prioritises mental wellbeing is a safer, healthier, and more productive one.
“Tackling the root causes of offending cuts crime and eases demand on police resources.”
Never heard such a load of crap ever. There maybe a lot of people with “mental” issues, but there sure are a lot of bandwagon jumpers, and the system seems to just take them at there word, “Oh I have mental problems” seems to be the go to phrase. Waste of cash. In other words, there ain’t enough specially trained police, or even police on foot anymore, to busy driving around the island and doing nothing.
The old days were much better, when bobbies
were on the beat, they were never far away from
trouble and were then when people needed them.
Old fashioned policing worked.
Bet it won’t put a stop to motorists speeding.
Speeding is rife on the island and nothing gets
done about it.
Wow! I never realized that speeding was a mental health problem. Every day’s a school day.
Watching uneducated speeding Numpty’s on a
daily basis can affect ones mental health.
2 Hats Donna. Mental health and police and crime commissioner. Are we paying her double for these obvious insights?
Investment in some decent, deterrence actions from the magistrates would cut criminality.
Why asre people taken to court, at the public expense, given meaningless punishment and returned to carry on being criminals!
Why didn’t they sit down with mental health professionals and some of the people with mental health issues who’ve ended up in court? Why have we got the privileged and entitled using phrases such as ‘a clear link between mental health and criminality’ with a complete lack of understanding? So, anyone with mental health issues will automatically be or become a criminal? Utter rot, as all other professionals would tell you if you just paid attention. Choose your words carefully, Donna. POVERTY is usually the driver, with trauma added in for good measure. Those things WILL in some people lead to MH issues, and yes, the lack of funding for help does make people act out in frustration. In those terms, arrest and conviction will not help, so who, exactly, is she talking to? All she’s doing is buck-passing and self aggrandisement. If they really want to help it needs a bigger, more focussed conference with and including the affected concerned, and some intense lobbying of the government.
Whilst I agree that there is a link between mental health issues left unaddressed and crime, it cannot be right that the money taxpayers pay for policing is used to prop up mental health services. If this is just pump priming funding to get a service off the ground which can then be handed over to and funded by health service providers that is fine. But there is no purpose establishing these links if there is no ongoing funding commitment and it cannot be right that that commitment should be met from the police precept which will only force up Council Tax further. This will not be limited to Hants and the Isle of Wight so surely it needs a properly co-ordinated national approach.