Victoria’s top cop notices worrying lockdown trend

Victoria‘s police chief says officers have been confronted with a worrying trend during the state’s lockdown.

Victoria‘s police chief says his officers have been confronted with a worrying spike in mental health issues throughout the state’s lockdown period.

Chief Police Commissioner Shane Patton said anecdotal reports from officers indicated they were dealing with increasing numbers mental health problems.

“Each day, when I check the reports from across the state and see what’s been occurring, it seems, anecdotally, that my members are attending a lot more incidents where we do have mental health issues. People are feeling the pressures a lot more,” he told 3AW.

“When you think about the pressures that are being placed on people economically and restrictions and a whole range of different matters, as well as the fatigue in the community … our members are experiencing that.”

A nurse practitioner at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital Emergency Department also told news.com.au there had been a big increase patients being admitted for mental health problems. She described the situation as “confronting and intense”

His comments after two confronting episodes seen in Melbourne last week – including one where a man who had left hospital after seeking mental health treatment was hit by a police car and had his head stomped while being arrested.

Meanwhile, Daniel Andrews is tipped to ease some lockdown restrictions as early as Sunday, as Victoria’s cases continue to plummet.

The state recorded just 11 new cases today – marking the eleventh consecutive day the state has recorded a daily infections number of below 50.