People experiencing mental health emergencies need care, not law enforcement.

But in a mental health emergency, what you receive is drastically different depending on where you live. In New South Wales, the police continue to take primary responsibility in responding to mental health emergencies. In 2022 the New South Wales police recorded 61,164 incidents in relation to people experiencing a mental health emergency where there was not an associated criminal offence. 

This approach continues to have fatal & tragic consequences. Between 2017 and 2023, 52 people experiencing mental distress died in interactions with NSW Police.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Governments around Australia and overseas have changed how they care for people in mental health distress. The UK, SA, TAS, and ACT all respond to mental health emergencies with healthcare workers in the lead, not police.

A health-led response to mental health emergencies was a key recommendation of the 2024 Greens-led Inquiry into community and outpatient mental health care in NSW. Everyone agrees that people experiencing a mental health crisis need mental health care, not cops - people with lived experience and their families, experts, front line workers, even the police themselves and every relevant government Minister.

It’s past time for the government to get on with implementing this reform.