Police are having to prioritise high-risk situations, as they grapple with a rise in mental health call-outs during the pandemic.
A Police report shows they only attend about half of the mental health call-outs they receive.
But new figures, released to Newstalk ZB, show the number of mental health events Police recorded in August and September this year, was up 55-percent on the same period in 2019.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told Mike Hosking incidents that are genuine threats to safety, have to be prioritised.
“There’s a lot of other demand there which hopefully can get some kind of response where people are helped.”
Anyone who needs to talk to a counsellor can call or text 1737 free, anytime.
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