Police 'Place of Safety' opening hailed by Commissioner

The move follows the opening of a similar facility in Scarborough, last Monday, which means North Yorkshire has gone from having no health based 'Section 136' provision, to having two facilities within a seven day period. This means victims of mental health conditions who are subject to Section 136 provision will be treated in a hospital quickly, and by health professionals, rather than being held in police cells for sometimes up to 24 hours without the necessary care.

Julia has led a campaign to secure these facilities since her election in November 2012. Working with the Home Office and local health groups, this has been instrumental in the development to two new facilities being set up in North Yorkshire, which cover the two areas with the most Section 136 detentions.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said, “Ensuring North Yorkshire has a health based place of safety has been a top priority for me since being elected. 

I welcome the opening of this facility in York, which will finally give the professional support these patients need. Victims need to be at the centre of everything we do, which is why this place of safety was desperately needed in York. For too long the police have been relied upon to look after detainees in custody suites, which was entirely inappropriate, as well as being resource intensive.

I thank the CCGs for finally making this happen, but we will have to wait and see whether there is enough capacity to support the needs of the community in York. With only one bed available, I need to be convinced that capacity at the facility is sufficient. With approximately 30 detainees per month across North Yorkshire, sometimes being admitted in clusters, I will be closely monitoring the situation.”