Calls for PSOs to help alleviate pressure on exhausted paramedics

A major restriction that stops PSOs from performing a time-consuming duty could be changed to get police back on the beat faster.

Protective service officers (PSOs) could assist mental health patients in hospitals to help free up general police resources.

Protective service officers (PSOs) could assist mental health patients in hospitals to help free up general police resources under proposed new expansive powers.

Key crossbencher Stuart Grimley, from Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party, will take to parliament next week to urge the state government to legislate the ability for PSOs to wait with mental health patients in hospitals and allow cops to return to general duties.

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed that Victorian police spent more than 20,000 hours off the beat in the last year, instead being forced to transfer – and wait with – mental health patients.

New data obtained from budget estimates revealed a 150 per cent increase – or an extra 7485 cases – in the number of times police have been called in to deal with people needing mental support over the last five years.

Under the plan, police members would still transfer patients to hospital, but would do a changeover with a PSO onsite, meaning they can avoid lengthy waits and immediately return to general duties.

The state government would have to amend the Victoria Police Act and remove the legislative restriction that bans PSOs from performing duties in a hospital.

Currently, PSOs can patrol train stations, bus and tram stops and certain places of public importance including the Victorian parliament and the courts.

Victorian police were forced to transfer mental health patients to help alleviate pressure on exhausted paramedics. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A hospital is not deemed a “designated place” for a protective service officer to operate.

Mr Grimley, who is a former police officer, said PSOs are already equipped with skills to assist people suffering a mental health crisis.

“They should be able to operate in a hospital environment creating a police offload team,” he said.

“I understand police are needed to initially attend mental health incidents, but once they’ve responded and assisted in the transportation, or transported the patient themselves, PSOs should be able to take on a more active role in getting police back on the streets.

“This could be time better spent on the beat protecting the community.”

The Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said it should be considered, but “in a perfect world, police wouldn’t be required to arrest or transport most mental health patients to hospital”.

“This would be the remit of a properly resourced health system. However, this is simply not the environment we operate in today.

“Any alternative idea that reduces the vast amount of time police wait at hospitals, is additional time they can invest in their communities. If PSOs can support police once a patient has been transferred to hospital, that’s something that could be considered.”

But a Victoria Police spokesman said the force was not considering deploying PSOs to perform duties at hospitals.

“PSOs will remain focused on detecting and deterring crime across the public transport network, including across 220 metropolitan and regional train stations,” he said.

The powers of PSOs are legislated in the Victoria Police Act and any changes to legislation are not a matter for Victoria Police.