Norfolk campaigners call for 'Right Care, Right Person' to be scrapped- following Costessey deaths
This policy would see Police hand over these matters to a more appropriate service- next month, as stands
Campaigners in Norfolk are calling for a mental health policy to be scrapped - after the deaths of four people in Costessey
The 'Right Care, Right Person' idea which would see Police hand over these matters to a more appropriate service- next month, as stands.
It comes after Bartolmiej Kuczynski, 45, Kanticha Sukpengpanao, 36, Jasmin Kuczynska, 12, and nine-year-old Natasha Kuczynska were found dead in a house in Costessey, on Friday
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, Bartolmiej Kuczynski called 999 from the property on Allan Bedford Crescent at around 6am that day, expressing concerns for his own mental state, but police were not dispatched there.
Officers made the discovery around an hour and 15 minutes later after a member of the public alerted them at around 7am.
Norfolk Constabulary has referred itself to the police watchdog over the delay
"Dangerous and irresponsible"
Mark Harrison is from the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk:
"They are planning to introduce it without any additional funding or piloting it, in Norfolk.
"That's dangerous and irresponsible because people will die. People will fall through the gaps and it won't keep people safe.
"They The Police are coming from it from an organisational point of view, not from the view of those who are in need of desperate help with their mental health.
"This incident in Costessey is an example of consequences that are happening before the policy has come in"
"Trying desperately to manage the situation"
"There needs to be an investment in public services so that they have enough money to do what they are legally required to do.
"Nobody has enough money to do this at the moment and it's those with mental distress who are paying the price.
"It's organisations who don't have enough money to run the service, that are trying desperately to manage the situation.
"They are not thinking of it from the view of somebody who's disabled or an acute mental distress"
What's the Government and Police said on this?
A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said:
“Right Care Right Person is a national initiative supported by the government which most forces across England will be adopting. It has not yet been implemented in Norfolk, we are due to go live with the first phase of RCRP next month.
"We’ve worked closely with our partners in health and social care over the last 10 months to carefully implement this plan, which is being reviewed in light of the recent events in Costessey.
“The aim of the initiative is to ensure people in crisis get the right care and support they need, from the right qualified professionals. The police are not always the right agency to respond to all incidents. There will be times where our partner agencies are better able to offer appropriate help and support to vulnerable people.
“RCRP does not mean the police are withdrawing from their core commitments, rather a shift to only attend calls where there is a need for the police be present in order to meet our commitments, role and policing duty.
“We have a duty to prevent and investigate crime and to keep people safe. Right Care Right Person is designed to help us to balance those duties more effectively.”