Mental health, vulnerability and risk in police custody
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-03-2017-0006 |
| Pages | 274-283 |
| Date | 09 October 2017 |
| Published date | 09 October 2017 |
| Author | Maggie Leese,Sean Russell |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection,Safeguarding,Sociology,Sociology of the family,Abuse |
Mental health, vulnerability and risk in
police custody
Maggie Leese and Sean Russell
Abstract
Purpose –The issue of mental health and policing is a subject that has been debated from a number of
different perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of a case study that explored
mental health difficulties and vulnerability within police custody.
Design/methodology/approach –The design of the study was qualitative, and it utilised telephone,
semi-structured interviews with all levels of the custody staff. This approach was taken because the aim of the
study was to explore how people in different roles within the organisation worked to safeguard vulnerable
people in custody.
Findings –The findings from this study identified a number of interesting themes that could be explored
further in later studies. Overall, the respondents expressed frustration that vulnerable people find themselves
in police custody for low-level crime, when it could have been avoided with improved mental health services in
the community. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that despite the processes that are designed to
safeguard the detainee, tensions still exist including, timely access to mental health assessments, appropriate
training and support for staff and the use of appropriate adults.
Research limitations/implications –Although the study was small in scale, the custody facility delivered
detainee facilities for about 5,000 individuals per year. The research and information obtained supported the
police lead for mental health to identify opportunities for improving the customer journey, as well as
recognising the need for further research to identify how officers and staff relate to vulnerable individuals in
contact with the police service.
Originality/value –Despite the limitations of th e study, the findings have c aptured interesting da ta
from a range of professionals working in one police custody suite, and therefore it presents a holistic
overview of some key iss ues around mental health , vulnerability and sa feguarding within the context
of police custody.
Keywords Mental health, Risk, Safeguarding, Vulnerability, Legal, Police custody
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
As a consequence of the changes to mental health services the police are increasingly expected
to take a role in supporting people with mental illness, and previous research suggests that they
can feel unprepared for this role (Chappell and O’Brien, 2014; Maclean and Marshal, 2010).
The Home Affairs Select Committee (2015) also noted that police officers are increasingly
working with people who are experiencing a mental health crisis, and it called upon the health
service to improve access to appropriate mental health support. In addition, the Crisis
Care Concordant promotes partnerships between the police, health and social care to improve
the experience of people in mental health crisis (Department of Health, 2014a). This has led to
the provision of “street triage”teams in some police authorities, that can divert people to
appropriate services, and in other areas there has been a move to have mental health nurses
based in custody suites (Department of Health, 2014b). Despite these positive changes, it is
estimated that more than a third of people who find themselves in police custody have some
form of mental health difficulty. In recognising this, it is therefore necessary to have systems in
place where appropriate referrals to mental health services can be made (Ogloff et al., 2013),
but there can be tensions between the two agencies (Maclean and Marshal, 2010).
Received 2 March 2017
Revised 17 May 2017
24 May 2017
Accepted 12 June 2017
Maggie Leese is a Principal
Lecturer at the Faculty of Health
and Social Sciences, Leeds
Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
Sean Russell is a
Superintendent at the West
Midlands Police, Birmingham,
UK.
PAGE274
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THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
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VOL. 19 NO. 5 2017, pp. 274-283, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203 DOI 10.1108/JAP-03-2017-0006
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