This page provides many of the quickest routes to the most-used areas of the BLOG if you open up the contents page, above right, you will find all of my available materials —
This icon, in the top right corner!
Once you’ve opened the contents, you can either select from the various sections or enter search terms to find relevant BLOGS, for example, “Section 5 MHA” and press enter —
Here are the most used resources for those working on the frontline of this —
- The Main Resources – a page of resources for officers working in the detail of all this. This contains ‘the whole nine yards’ versions of the stuff I’ve done.
- REVIEWED & UPDATED 2023 >> Quick Guides – a series of legal and practical summaries for operational police officers about the most important scenarios that emerge under the Mental Health and Capacity Acts.
- PACE for Beginners – this series of four posts is written with non-police officers in mind and it is a guide to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. It hopes to provide an overview of the law of detention in police custody.
- Policing and Crime Act Series – in 2017, the Mental Health Act was amended and this series of posts contains various resources, summaries and commentaries on the changed laws relating to police powers under the MHA.
- Paramedic Series – posts written specifically for my colleagues in green about the various aspects of how these two 999 services interact with each other.
Some resources for those interested in reading widely about the thematic, political and strategic backgrounds to all of these things —
- The Big Reports – over the last 20-25yrs, a number of thematic, inspection and other kinds of reports have been published about policing, mental health and criminal justice. This is a selection of those I’ve come across and read and it’s interesting to note by looking at them, how much of this stuff is repeated in regular cycles.
- Preventing Future Death reports – a selection of PFDs notices which result from inquests involving the police or ambulance services or mental health and acute hospital trusts. This is not a definitive list, just those I come across in the course of the surveying I do.
The Mental Health Act changed on 11th December 2017, and this renders aspects of the current MHA Codes of Practice, out of date, ambiguous or redundant – especially chapter 16 of both the English and Welsh Codes (police powers).
Government guidance is to follow the Code where possible, but to be aware that some of it will no longer service contact with the courts, until a new Code is published and there is still no anticipated update, as of 2022.
Winner of the President’s Medal,
the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Winner of the Mind Digital Media Award
All views expressed are my own – they do not represent the views of any organisation.
(c) Michael Brown, 2024
I try to keep this blog up to date, but inevitably over time, amendments to the law as well as court rulings and other findings from inquests and complaints processes mean it is difficult to ensure all the articles and pages remain current. Please ensure you check all legal issues in particular and take appropriate professional advice where necessary.
Government legislation website – www.legislation.gov.uk
Mental Health Cop 