Cops say hands tied in confronting mentally ill

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has expressed concern about the police’s interaction with mentally ill persons, noting t hat there have been three fatalities stemming from four incidents since the start of the year.

Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, INDECOM Commissioner Hugh Faulkner said that the police were using lethal methods in their de-escalation of situations involving mentally ill people.

“All steps must be taken to utilise non-lethal methods to subdue [and] disarm, where appropriate, perceived threats to the security forces,” Faulkner said, noting that there are “tried and tested” methods that do not include the use of a firearm.

He said INDECOM is investigating the four incidents, declaring that the oversight body is the eyes and ears of the mentally ill in police confrontations.

His caution follows Sunday’s incident in which a knife-wielding man believed to be of unsound mind was shot after allegedly attacking a policeman during an operation in August Town, St Andrew.

Faulkner said last year, there were eight fatal incidents involving the police and the mentally ill. There were also eight shooting incidents.

At the same time, the commissioner said the data do not represent the total number of confrontations between the two groups.

“We emphasise that all steps must be taken to de-escalate any threat posed without deadly force,” he said.

But the police have argued that they are not the primary authority to deal with the mentally ill.

A highly placed source who declined to go on record because he was not authorised to speak told The Gleaner that the police deal with hundreds of cases involving the mentally ill.

“From our perspective, when we are called, it’s usually by a person in need of help. We are not trained to do psychosocial analysis. We can’t determine if someone is mentally ill. The police work to assist the community mental health unit officers in situations involving the mentally ill,” the source said.

The source described INDECOM’s comment as “unfortunate”, noting that of the hundreds of cases involving mentally ill people, there is never a recommendation to charge the lawman involved when there is a fatality.

The source said in one instance, the police assigned to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Area Four, which includes stations in the Kingston Western, Kingston Eastern, Kingston Central, St Andrew South and St Andrew Central police divisions, were engaged in more than 400 cases involving the mentally ill.

At that time, the source said fatalities amounted to fewer than 10 per cent and that there were no charges from INDECOM.

The source said in almost all cases, a policeman is not accompanied to the location by a mental health officer.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness, when contacted, said the police would have to request the company of an officer before attempting to de-escalate a situation.

It said in most instances, that request is not made.