McArthur: Police struggling to catch mental health related incidents

Responding to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS)'s review of the policing of mental health-related incidents which warned that police in Scotland should not be “performing the roles of other agencies” when it comes to dealing with reports of people in distress due to poor mental health, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

"The police are doing their best in amongst a patchwork of underfunded mental health services. It is not sustainable to expect them to catch everyone who falls through the cracks with the limited resources that SNP ministers have made available.

"I want to see the Justice Secretary work with the police and health services on the rollout of mental health specialists, who will work alongside officers and provide more effective management of mental health-related incidents.  

"Long-term, Scottish Liberal Democrats have been clear that we also need to see a serious expansion of the mental health workforce, fast access to talking therapies at every GP practice and new 24/7 crisis care.”