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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