How would you know if section 136 is over-used in an area? The alleged overuse of this power has been a near-constant refrain in the background of the work I’ve done over twenty years. Regularly brought up, various reasons given for the alleged over-use: it is one of those ‘zombie’ arguments, that never dies – […]

The United Kingdom and New Zealand are worth contrasting when it comes to policing and mental health. To the extent I’ve tried to find out, they are the only two countries who restrict their police service to legally intervening in a mental health crisis to public places. Section 136 Mental Health Act 1983 (England / […]

You may not have heard about “swing beds” in mental health care – this is a term used in some of the annual reports by the Care Quality Commission in to the operation of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). A little explanation about this term before we look at the sad case of Mr […]