Police accepts the findings of two Independent Police Conduct Authority reports released today highlighting issues with the management of people in custody, and is continuing to work with the responsible agencies to address them.

The reports include an investigation into the death of Sentry Taitoko in Police custody in Counties Manukau in February 2014, feeding into a wider review of Police custodial management.

"Police accepts both reports' findings, which highlight that there are a number of ongoing and recurring issues regarding the management of people in custody, particularly with regards to training, staff expertise and consistency of practice across the country," says Acting Assistant Commissioner Response and Operations, Barry Taylor.

"However, as the Authority has noted, the deficiencies identified in the reports are not just a Police problem, but one for a range of agencies to address – and we welcome further debate about how this can be achieved.

"In particular, it highlights the need for a multi-agency solution to help safely manage those suffering mental distress or who are under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, who sadly make up a significant proportion of those we take into custody each day.

"The report also notes that Police is often left in the difficult position of having to take those experiencing these complex problems into custody because there are no other appropriate alternatives, and they feel compelled to act to ensure their safety."

Statistics noted by the Authority show that between 2011-2014, Police dealt with more than half a million people in custody, with more than a third of them under the influence of alcohol, drugs or solvents.

Figures for the same period also show the number of people taken into custody in relation to mental health incidents increased by almost 23%, while those taken in for detoxification increased by 8.2%.

Mr Taylor says combined calls for Police service by those experiencing both mental distress and threatening or attempting suicide have risen by around 350 percent over the last 20 years.

"In 2014 alone, Police dealt with an average 147 mental health related incidents a day, including those threatening or attempting suicide, which translates to more than 53,000 incidents annually.

Police recognises that this presents some significant challenges moving ahead, particularly for our staff who are not trained mental health clinicians or medical experts, but who are increasingly faced with people suffering from these complex issues and who often feel like they are the only option to help them."

In response, Mr Taylor says work has been ongoing at national and district level to improve custodial management practice, and provide increased support for staff particularly around dealing with mentally distressed people.

This includes work already underway to develop national custody standards, which will feed into a revised training package for staff in 2015/16, along with establishment of a national mental health team in July 2014.

This team is working to identify and resolve issues between agencies responsible for responding to people suffering mental distress, and provide improved support and training for frontline staff.

At a local level, many Police districts have also introduced initiatives to help alleviate the problem, including working more closely with District Health Boards and other agencies to better respond to people experiencing mental health issues.

Mr Taylor says there are also obvious lessons to be learnt from the Authority's report into the death of Mr Taitoko.

"Our thoughts are with Mr Taitoko's family following his tragic death, which identifies important lessons for all Police custodial staff.

In light of both reports today, Police will be continuing to focus on what further improvements we can make to ensure the safety of those we take into custody, with the appropriate ongoing support of other agencies."

Director of Mental Health, Dr John Crawshaw, says the Ministry of Health recognises the issues raised by both the Authority and Police.

"There are many complex situations where individuals present to both services.

For mental health services, it is important that we improve the consistency with which mental health and support services respond to these situations.

"We have already made significant progress with a national protocol with Police to clarify expectations from both services.

Once agreed and in place, expected by mid-year, this will help ensure that where mental health is responsible for a service, we consistently step up.

"Police and the Ministry are also looking at data from both systems to help give a fuller picture of what's happening and keep track of progress."

Source: New Zealand Police.