Publish date: 22 January 2024
Here’s how it went for Cheshire Constabulary over the first 72 hours:
- Received 160 incidents
- Deployed to 43% (on these days in 2023, deployed to 69%)
- Operators sought advice about 15% of incidents
- Incidents are split - 36% from partners, 64% from public
- 0 adverse outcomes
- 0 complaints.
One incident was escalated: a service called to report one of their services users had left and was feeling suicidal. Using the toolkit, the operator reached a no deployment decision. The caller insisted they attend because they ‘always do’. The incident was escalated to the supervisor who ratified the operator’s decision.
Where there’s disagreement on deployment decisions, please raise them on the call or as soon as possible, and directly to the force control centre so they may trigger the escalation process and make a further assessment as soon a possible.
Phase 2 – Health care walk outs (to be implemented in April 2024)
These can be separated into two categories.
Absconded patients - a patient who has left the department unexpectedly, without the knowledge of clinical staff, and in whom there remains a potential risk of harm to self or others either through neglect or deliberate means.
AWOL patients - detained under the Mental Health Act. A patient becomes AWOL if they:
- Absent themself from hospital without leave granted under MHA
- Fail to return to hospital at the expiration of any period of leave or on being recalled from leave
- Absent themself without permission from any place where they are required to reside in accordance with conditions imposed on any grant of leave.
RCRP will provide clarity of roles and responsibilities as well as direction on:
- The differences between AWOL and abscond
- Police powers to return patients and when they can or should be used
- When a patient is a missing person and when they are not
- Reasonable enquiries expected from partners.
