The police may not be the most appropriate agency to provide the primary response to the majority of mental health crises in the community, a newly released report finds.

An internal review of the NSW police force response to mental health incidents notes that, “while police are best equipped to respond to incidents involving criminality and public order, other health professionals are able to provide more appropriate care for people experiencing mental health crises”.

Furthermore, the report – handed to the NSW government in April, but publicly released earlier this month – also acknowledges “that police as the primary responder can potentially escalate a situation” and “increase the risk of adverse outcomes” for people experiencing mental ill-health.

In response, the review calls for a specialised response model designed to make sure that people who have mental health needs are handled “by the right person, with the right skills, training, and experience to best meet their needs”.

A spokesperson for the Mental Health Commission of NSW told Government News that – given the known impacts of police responses – it supports a health-led approach to mental health emergencies. “We recommend developing training for the NSW police through a collaboration between those with lived experience of mental health issues – either directly or as carers and families – mental health professionals and police.”

They added: “It is important we build and support a diverse workforce across NSW in health, emergency services and the caring community. A workforce which is skilled, well-resourced and compassionate in dealing with those living with mental health issues.”

Commissioned last year, the review followed calls for change from the mental health sector. “There is a consensus that people experiencing mental ill-health need appropriate medical care,” police minister Yasmin Catley said. “We want to explore an alternative model so police can respond to crime first and foremost, and those experiencing mental ill-health can receive the right care.”

NSW police respond to more than 60,000 mental health incidents in the community every year – a figure that has increased by around 10% annually since 2018.

On average, a mental health incident is attended and/or recorded by NSW police every nine minutes. As a result, “the demand on frontline police has increased and engagement with mental health consumers now forms a significant component of everyday policing in NSW”.

This trend is not unique to NSW. As the report’s authors note: “The increasing demand on the NSWPF to respond to mental health issues in the community is not occurring in isolation – other states and territories in Australia and other countries around the world have experienced similar trends.”

However, “Over-reliance on police responding to mental health-related incidents can cause distress and increase the risk of injury for both individuals experiencing mental health concerns and police officers,” say the report’s authors.

As well, “The high volume of police deployment to mental health-related matters can also have flow-on impacts to other community safety issues, limiting resources of police to respond to other matters.”

When there is a report of a mental health crisis in the community, it may be better if it were “managed by an agency with the skills, expertise, and training to engage as the first line of response to mental health-related matters”.

Mental health minister Rose Jackson said the government has heard the calls for change, “and we know action cannot wait”.

She added: “This report is the first step exploring the pathway forward for an alternative model.”