Lack of health resources sees gardaí deal with 60% more people in mental health crises

Garda figures show that there were 149 cases in 2021 where specialist garda negotiators were called — an increase of 60% on 2020. File picture

Long waiting lists and a lack of in-patient psychiatric beds means that gardaí are seen as the “last resort” in dealing with a mental health crisis, campaigners have said.

Mental Health Reform said it is “deeply concerned” after a Garda report indicated that more than half of the crisis or ‘barricade’ incidents they were called to in 2021 related to mental health situations. MHR boss, Róisín Clarke, said garda interventions can lead to “additional distress” for the person in crisis.

She welcomed a Garda pilot project in Limerick, where a joint police-health team will respond to mental health crises and try and divert the person concerned away from the criminal justice system.

Ms Clarke was responding to Garda figures which show that there were 149 cases in 2021 where specialist garda negotiators were called — an increase of 60% on 2020.

There were 98 situations dealt with by the Garda National Negotiation Unit in both 2019 and 2018.

A breakdown shows:

• 38% of the incidents in 2021 were mental health related;
• 25% of the cases were crisis interventions, relating to suicide or self-harm 

“Crisis intervention, mental health barricades and domestic/criminal barricades continue to be the mainstay of the work carried out by the negotiators,” said the Garda report.

It said there has been a “large rise” in the number of incidents, with created a greater potential risk for both the individuals involved and those responding to the incident. “Incidents involving or suspected to involve firearms have increased by 144%, from nine to 22," the report said.

It added that there were three murder-suicide incidents in 2021 that negotiators responded to.

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Róisín Clarke, Interim CEO, Mental Health Reform, said: “It is deeply concerning that the largest share of barricade incidents from An Garda Síochána related to mental health issues.” 

She said that during the pandemic, people with mental health difficulties were particularly vulnerable and said an intervention by gardaí could have led to “additional distress”.

“It is critical that people with mental health difficulties can avail of appropriate support at the earliest possible opportunity," Ms Clarke said.

Due to waiting lists and a lack of inpatient beds, many people are unable to access timely mental health treatment. When a person reaches crisis point, contacting the gardaí may be perceived as the only resort.

She said the report highlights the need for increased funding for mental health services in the community.

“This includes the expansion of the suicide crisis assessment nurse service as well as more out-of-hours crisis cafés where people can access urgent support,” she said.

Ms Clarke cited developments in the establishment of a joint garda-health response in Limerick on a pilot basis as the way to go.

The announcement, and establishment, of the pilot were both reported in the  and followed a recommendation in the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report, published in September 2018.

Calls to consider setting up such teams were first made by a joint garda-Mental Health Commission report in 2009. “We welcome the recent development of a Crisis Intervention Team in Limerick to help divert people with mental health difficulties from the criminal justice system," said Ms Clarke.