Blacktown, Sydney – The police enforcers of Blacktown are sharpening their skills by undergoing training to help them be better equipped in dealing with the increasing number of mental health related issues that are occurring daily.
Inspector Bob Fitzgerald a mental health officer, said that Blacktown police will respond to about 750 to 800 incidents related to mental health every year. He said that it is their goal to lower this figure soon. The inspector emphasized that having a mental illness is never a crime, but in some cases it has unfortunately become a serious crime related issues.
Inspector Fitzgerald also said that today the police force of Blacktown is handling mental health related incidents almost on a daily basis. Giving these individuals the urgent care they need is important, but proper training can give officers an edge in handling said cases. Blacktown officers are learning methods in communicating with individuals that are suffering from any mental health related issues. Fitzgerald said that 12 officers already had completed the said training with 160 more officers expected to undergo the same training within the year.
Being the mental health officer of Blacktown, Fitzgerald also said that he himself also gained some useful insights because of the said training. He highly appreciates the fact that the force evolved from just arresting people. Several urgent care clinics are available for such individuals, but said training can help officers understand and assist individuals with said mental illness effectively and safely. As per advice of mental health experts, prevention is still key added with properly trained police officers, issues like this can be handled safely and properly.
Acting Inspector Mike Bailey also emphasized that now that they fully understand the mental health related issues these individuals have, proper response and techniques can be implemented. The said inspector himself had already handled 247 issues with the same background. In visiting any urgent care clinic in Blacktown, it is apparent that the number of individuals with mental issues is on the rise.
The said training of Blacktown officers will give them the right tools in handling any similar cases that involves individuals with mental illnesses. This training will give an officer a sense of perspective and answer their question on how to handle and bring said individuals to urgent care near me withproper techniques. The Mental Health Act of 2007 stated that a police officer can escort individuals with mental health related issues to hospitals or mental health clinics to get proper medical attention.
