The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has today published its 2024 report on deaths in custody or following police contact. This has been an annual report for as long as the IOPC (and previously the Independent Police Complaints Commission, or IPCC) has existed and you’ll find links to all previous reports at the bottom […]

Read More Deaths After Police Contact

April 2024 saw the soft release of guidance on Right Care, Right Person from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). I say “soft release” because the document has been published on the APCC website, dated April 2024, but there was no mention on their website news section of its release, where other guidance […]

Read More Mission Creep

Section 137 Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) is widely misunderstood – very widely.  The thing about which needs stating upfront and we’ll state it again at the end is this: it’s not a power someone can use – it’s conferring confirmation of legal status on people in just some limited circumstances. The section states – Section 137 […]

Read More I’m Using Section 137!