Beyond police in mental health crisis: centring First Nations leadership and community-driven care

When someone is experiencing psychological distress, the response they receive can mean the difference between safety and traumatisation. For too long, Australia has defaulted to the police as first responders to mental health crises. The introduction of co-responder models, which pair the police with mental health professionals, while a step in the right direction, remain embedded in carceral systems of control. They criminalise distress, re-traumatise victim-survivors, and disproportionately harm First Nations peoples and other marginalised communities.^[1]

The reality of police responses

At Knowmore, we have seen the devastating impact of police-led responses to mental health crises. These responses have been described as intimidating and frightening, with some officers responding with forcefulness rather than care. As a service that works with many people who may experience mental health crises, we are cognisant that the traumatising experiences described in the literature may be a risk for our clients. Many of our clients do not trust the police for a range of reasons, including individual and communal experiences of harm perpetrated by the police. The presence of the police during a mental health crisis can therefore be profoundly distressing and re-traumatising.

These experiences are not isolated or incidental – they are systemic. Recent headlines speak to the use of unlawful force by the police while carrying out welfare checks.^[2] These experiences are also corroborated in the research. A recent study highlighted that people in mental health crises often feel dehumanised and criminalised during encounters with the police.^[3] Research co-produced with people who have been apprehended under mental health laws found that the use of force, including tasers, pepper spray, and being locked in police vans, was common practice.^[4] Such encounters have significant and ongoing impacts: trauma, loss of employment, fear of future police attendance, and ongoing stigma.^[5] These cases illustrate not just isolated failings, but a system that perpetrates harm and rarely faces accountability. It is also a system that is harmful to police officers.^[6] Indeed, many police officers feel ill-equipped to respond to a person experiencing a mental health crisis, and the tools available to them are not fit-for-purpose.^[7]

Evaluations of co-response and crisis intervention team models show modest benefits such as improved officer attitudes and short-term diversion from hospital.^[8] However, systematic reviews and meta-analyses find mixed or negligible impacts on arrests, use of force or long-term outcomes.^[9] Importantly, the effectiveness of these models is influenced by national context, including capacity of health systems, with little research based in Australia.^[10] A scoping review of crisis pathways determined that the transport of people experiencing suicidal crisis to emergency departments by first responders, the most common outcome of first responder involvement, has negligible evidence to verify its efficacy.^[11] Aftercare and community-based “safe haven” models show more promise, particularly when co-designed with people with lived experience of suicidal crisis.^[12]

Towards community-driven, culturally safe, trauma-informed care

The Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement at Knowmore reminds us that the police intervening in mental health crises must be considered within the context of Australia’s history. For many First Nations peoples, the police have never been neutral – they are the face of an inherently racist force who have historically, and continue to, perpetrate significant harm to First Nations people and communities. We can see this inherent racism reflected in the disproportionate number of First Nations people incarcerated (36% of adult prisoners nationally)^[13] and dying in custody (from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, 33 First Nations people died in custody, representing 29% of all deaths in custody for that period).^[14]

Removing the police from mental health crisis response is ethically essential. But removing the police without investing in adequate support service alternatives risks leaving people with no response at all. Support services workers often feel conflicted when working with someone experiencing a mental health crisis. While cognisant of the trauma police attendance can lead to, they recognise that they often have no other suitable option except to call 000. With 000 operators ultimately deciding what service(s) to send, support service workers cannot stop a police response. Workers are regularly being positioned to make the difficult decision between the lesser of two harms – a police response or no response at all – which poses a significant ethical dilemma that can be deeply distressing for workers.

What is needed, the Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement at Knowmore argues, is a fundamental shift: specially trained First Nations responders supporting First Nations people, in alignment with principles of self-determination and empowerment. First Nations-led initiatives must be central, and appropriately and consistently resourced.

International examples such as CAHOOTS in the USA follow a multi-disciplinary, community-driven crisis model which has demonstrated that unarmed, health-led teams can de-escalate crises, connect people to support, and reduce transport to hospitals and arrests.^[15] Adapting this type of model to the Australian context ensures care that is delivered in a way that does not re-traumatise, builds trust, respects human rights and First Nations self-determination, and provides holistic support spanning prevention, crisis intervention, and post-crisis recovery.

In an Australian context, Murri Watch’s Diversionary Centre and Community Patrol services are examples of successful First Nations-led initiatives aiming to reduce police or other first responder intervention in the community. Through providing those experiencing public intoxication or homelessness with a temporary safe place to stay and referrals to housing, medical, and alcohol and other drug support services, individuals are met with respect and compassion.^[16]

Conclusion

Police-led responses to mental health crises re-traumatise victim-survivors, perpetuate systemic racism, and can lead to significant physical and emotional harm, and at times, death. Co-response models cannot undo the reality that policing is an instrument of control, not care.

Governments must commit to sustained investment in community-driven responses to mental health crises that centre First Nations leadership, amplify lived experience, and embed trauma-informed, culturally safe care.

For those of us in social work and allied professions, neutrality is not an option. We must name the harm, challenge the status quo, and join communities in demanding a future where mental health crises are met with care, not criminalisation.

Danelle Lever is the Manager of Client Services at Knowmore Legal Service, a nation-wide, free and independent community legal centre assisting victims and survivors of child abuse. Danelle wrote this blog post as part of her social work student placement with Knowmore.

References

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2. Jacobs, L. A., Kim, M. E., Whitfield, D. L., Gartner, R. E., Panichelli, M., Kattari, S. K., Downey, M. M., McQueen, S. S., & Mountz, S. E. (2021). Defund the Police: Moving Towards an Anti-Carceral Social Work. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 32(1), 37–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/10428232.2020.1852865
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19. Murri Watch Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation. (2025). Annual Report 2025. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y3l5_vSFIfQwc6mKijGkJHveJiCopH-d/view