Recommendations - Humberside Police, June 2022
We identified organisational learning following a review from a police investigation.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that Humberside Police review their training and guidance on mental health issues to ensure that officers are effectively trained in verbal de-escalation as the default response to any incident involving someone with mental health problems. Training and guidance should emphasise that:
- officers should take time to ask questions to identify whether a person is suffering with a mental health difficulty.
- once officers arrive at an incident, they should endeavour to check, clarify and validate information that was provided to them before they arrived, where possible and appropriate.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Professional Standards Department have already liaised with the force lead Officer safety instructor during the consultation phase when these recommendations were being discussed. The lead instructor indicated that mental health training did form part of the current training but would always look to consider, evolve and amend training as required.
Following this formal return to IOPC a DCI of the Professional Standards Department will have further communication and look to have this introduced into the training package.
The IOPC recommends that Humberside Police update their training on mental health issues by including this case as a scenario for officers to discuss and learn from whereby validation of information, de-escalation and discussion with those involved in an incident are shown to be alternative ways of resolving a situation possibly without the need for force.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
Professional Standards Department have already liaised with the force lead Officer safety instructor during the consultation phase when these recommendations were being discussed. The lead instructor indicated that mental health training did form part of the current training but would always look to consider, evolve and amend training as required.
Following this formal return to IOPC a DCI of the Professional Standards Department will have further communication and look to have this introduced into the training package.
The IOPC recommends that Humberside Police should review its systems and processes for communicating strategies issued by the Force Incident Manager (FIM) to officers at an incident, to ensure all officers have received the communication and are aware of the strategy. In road traffic pursuits officers are required to repeat back the strategy to ensure they have heard and understood it, which might be a useful option in cases such as this.
Do you accept the recommendation?
Yes
Accepted action:
DCI of the Professional Standards Department will make contact and meet with the Force Control Room senior management team to discuss this recommendation and how it can be introduced.