Thanks to Ed Gouge from Isle of Wight Labour for this update
Robin Price, Labour’s candidate for the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner elections on 5th May will make lobbying for better mental health services as one of his priorities if elected.
Mr Price said,
“Police officers spend about 30% of their time coping with people with mental health issues according to last year’s Home Affairs Select Committee. As Government cuts have meant that we have 780 less officers than in 2010 this is a huge strain on the service.
“Police officers are regularly dealing with people in crisis and, even though they are having more training in this area, they cannot hope to deal with these issues as well as mental health professionals.
“If elected, I will say quite clearly to Government ministers and the Clinical Commissioning Groups that decide NHS spending that mental health needs as much attention as physical health.
“We need a 24 hour, seven day a week service that people can contact when a crisis begins, properly resourced mental health places of safety and better access to long term therapies.”
Robin Price is a solicitor and has worked and lived almost all his life in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, having run a free legal advice clinic in Portsmouth and his own legal firm in Ryde.
