Primed to respond

Editorial and photography: Danielle Ford

Every 12 minutes, a Victoria Police officer responds to an incident involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis, and First Constable Jack Van Den Driest knows firsthand the importance of being properly equipped to handle these situations.

Const Van Den Driest joined Victoria Police nearly three years ago and, in that time, mental health-related events have been one of the most common types of jobs he has attended.

While he always felt prepared and equipped at every one of these jobs, a specialised training course he recently undertook has further enhanced his ability to help people experiencing a mental health crisis.

PRIME (Police Responding in Mental Health Events) training was introduced as a mandatory course for all frontline Victoria Police officers in early 2020 and is designed to improve police capability to manage incidents involving people experiencing mental health issues.

The mandatory training program has been delivered to about nine per cent of all frontline police, with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic having delayed delivery of the face-to-face course.

Const Van Den Driest completed the training earlier this year and said, since then, he has already attended a number of jobs where he could implement what he learnt.

“The day after doing my training, I was at a job where a woman was acting erratically inside her house,” he said.

Const Van Den Driest was able to use specialised communication techniques he’d learnt in the PRIME training to engage with the woman, avoiding going down the path of forcing entry into her property.

“After numerous failed communication attempts, I noticed a football team scarf on her front railing, so I decided to ask her about it and this got her attention and she began talking,” Const Van Den Driest said.

“Between questions about football I was able to build rapport and ask welfare-related questions to gain an understanding of the situation and her wellbeing.”

After talking with the woman for a period of time, Const Van Den Driest determined she did not fit the criteria for a mental health assessment by a registered doctor or mental health practitioner under section 351 of the Mental Health Act 2014.

Constable Van Den Driest then provided the appropriate referrals to assist her, confident he had addressed the incident appropriately.

“As a result I was able to clear and attend to a number of other jobs in a timely manner, rather than sitting at hospital for hours, causing distress to the female, when a referral is able to provide ongoing assistance on her terms," he said.

Const Jack Van Den Driest (middle) is one of many frontline officers already using skills learnt in Victoria Police’s specialised mental health response training to better support members of the community during mental health-related events. Pictured with Const Van Den Driest is PRIME police educator A/Sen Sgt Renee Grant and mental health educator Sally Kershaw.

PRIME senior educator Sally Kershaw said the course was developed in consultation with mental health experts from across Australia.

“When developing the training, we sought input from various mental health research institutes and used real-life examples of mental health events police have responded to as a base for the sessions,” Ms Kershaw said.

Victoria Police’s Mental Health Reference Group was included in the development of the training and liaised with members of the community to have them provide lived experiences for the training program.

While reforms to be made following recommendations from the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System will reduce the reliance on police attendance at mental health emergencies, Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson said ensuring police officers were best equipped for these type of callouts remains a key priority for the organisation.

“The commission has recommended Triple Zero (000) calls regarding mental health crises be directed to ambulance officers instead of police to provide a care response, and this is a recommendation Victoria Police has fully supported,” DC Paterson said.

“However, Victoria Police will continue to invest in high-level training to ensure our officers are best equipped to help anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.

“While we will not be the first respondents to all these events in the future as we are now, as emergency service workers who engage with thousands of community members each week, it’s important our officers are trained for any situation.”

For 24/7 crisis support or suicide prevention services, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14. If life is in danger call Triple Zero (000). Current and former Victoria Police employees and their families can also access wellbeing services via bluespacewellbeing.com.au.