Kent Police Control Room Project
A project with North Kent Mind, supported by the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner and National Mind that reduces the Police resources tied up on mental health related calls.
Two nights each week MMK Mind and North Kent Mind work in partnership with Kent Police by providing a trained mental health worker to offer support and advice within the Kent Police Control Room. These staff take a number of phone calls from people who may be experiencing mental health crisis or have nowhere else to turn and have therefor called the Police. We work with these individual callers providing them with support, information and signposting to improve their situation and reduce the use of the Police service for resolving these matters. We look to prevent patrols having to go out to these individuals and have even spoken to PC Officers who are on scene, providing them with support or advice in dealing with situations. This all helps to give people access to the correct information as well as offering time to support them over the phone that night, reducing the time needed for the emergency call takers to be on the phone and the number of police patrols dispatched.
Police Control Room project makes national news …
The BBC and ITV visited Kent Police Headquarters to report on the work we do with Kent Police by supporting emergency callers with mental health needs.
TV reporters filmed Kim Blewett, Mental Health Advisor, and Julie Blackmore, CEO whilst interviewing them about the collaborative project with Kent Police and the positive impact it has had so far for callers that need more appropriate mental health support, also for the emergency call workers. Matthew Scott, Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner is in full support of the project as he makes mental health a priority for Police in Kent.