Certain situations present police officers with incidents which could lead to an arrest for a criminal offence OR an arrest under s136 MHA(EW) / s297 MHA(S) / s130 MHO(NI).  It therefore raises the question, how does the officer make the decision as to which? Some forces issue guidance on this; others don’t.  Amidst the possibility […]

Here’s what just some criminal justice professionals think about victims of crime who have mental health problems: They will be unreliable witnesses in court; Their version of events in an incident must be inherently flawed because they have mental health problems. Supporting evidence must be available to support their allegations which would not be necessary […]

This is the first of a couple of blog posts on a particular problem in police custody upon which I have worked for several years in my attempt to find an answer. A subsequent blog will get into the full legalities of police custody on this point, but let me test the water with this: […]