Cumbria Police to disband mental health team due to 'change in demand'

Police say they have seen a shift in the resources needed for mental health-related service calls since the implementation of the Right Care Right Person (RCRP) model earlier this year.

The RCRP model, which was introduced in May, is designed to ensure that vulnerable adults receive appropriate specialist health support, rather than defaulting to police involvement in every situation.

Under this model, incidents that previously required police attendance are now redirected to health and social care partners when there is no safety risk or crime present.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable David Stalker said: “As a force we regularly review our structure to ensure that we are providing the best response for our communities, to keep Cumbria safe. 

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“This often means moving officers from one area of business to another in line with demand.

“Following the introduction of Right Care Right Person in May we have seen a change in demand linked to the resources needed for calls to service in relation to mental health.

“The new model agreed with partners has seen those in need of specialist support receive it from the relevant agency.

“Any changes of establishment or specifically to the mental health team will follow our governance processes.

"The objective being to enable adjustment of resources to provide an effective response to our communities and is not a financial decision.

“Whilst Right Care Right Person changes our approach to some calls for service, it does not impact our response to incidents where there is a risk to life or of serious harm to a person, whether that’s to the person in crisis themselves or other people.

“This model has been well supported by our partners who help to ensure that our communities are receiving the relevant support,” he said.

The street triage team, a partnership formed in 2021 between the Cumbria, Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) and Cumbria Police, is part of the mental health team.

This collaboration saw mental health clinicians and police officers working together to respond appropriately to individuals in mental health crises who come into contact with the police.

Cumbria's Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said he supports the decision to 'safeguard response policing.'

“Resourcing and operational decisions are the responsibility of the Chief Constable, Rob Carden.

 “The Chief Constable and his Executive Team are best placed to make the decisions in respect of resourcing that positively impact policing and ensure that that resource is best placed to best protect Cumbria and its residents.

 “Frontline policing is, and will always remain, the priority.

“During my election campaign, I listened to the public of Cumbria and as a result, I pledged to ensure that we had and maintained visible policing in the county.

"Nothing has changed in respect of that, it’s vital that we have visible, effective, accessible front-line policing and I intend to see this delivered in conjunction with the Chief’s planning.

 “I agree with the decision taken by the Constabulary to safeguard response policing and to ensure that our local communities receive the best response possible," he said.