Police liaison scheme receives commendation from West Yorkshire Police

The Kirklees police liaison scheme has been judged by the West Yorkshire Police assistant chief constable’s panel and awarded a special commendation. This commendation is in relation to the dedicated work in the HUB for Kirklees district, helping to protect vulnerable members of the public This award will be presented to the team in a special commendation event in early 2017.

The police liaison scheme is run in Kirklees and Calderdale and involves mental health nurses working alongside officers at Halifax and Huddersfield police stations to recognise the signs of mental illness. This ensures fewer people with mental health conditions are placed on Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, held in a cell or admitted to A&E when there are more appropriate ways of providing health care for them. The scheme also enables practitioners to visit victims and witnesses at home and support police officers at the scene of an incident.

This innovative scheme has led to an improved experience of service users in crisis. Practitioners are able to work with the police to undertake timely mental health assessments and offer appropriate intervention at the point of crisis, including making referrals to the appropriate pathway.