Concern at the manner in which a man with mental health issues was detained by police were raised in Tynwald last week.

It follows a court case when Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes criticised the way a 41-year-old man was treated by police and the mental health crisis response team.

The court heard how the man, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia had been put in a police cell with no toilet and then released at just before 1am to go home to Ramsey.

Police charged the man with criminal damage after he urinated in the cell.

Although the man, an outpatient at Manannan Court, admitted the offence, he was given an absolute discharge by the court.

After being called to an incident following reports of a man with a knife in Ramsey, the court was told, officers had requested assistance from the crisis response team, but were told they could not come out and could only speak to the arrested man if he was brought to them.

Health Minister David Ashford faced questions in Tynwald from David Cretney MLC about whether the crisis response team was empowered to refuse a request for assistance from the police.

Mr Ashford said: ’There is no policy in the department which provides for the mental health crisis team to refuse to attend police headquarters when a request is made by the police for an assessment to be made.

’However, there may be occasions, Mr President, when the request is escalated to the on-call psychiatrist for the mental health service, and this will depend upon the nature of the request and any known mental health history of the person who is being referred into the service.’

The Minister said he was aware of the case Mr Cretney was referring to but - even though the case had been dealt with by the court - he had been advised it was ’sub judice’ so he could not comment on it directly.

At the hearing, Mrs Hughes said the case ’causes me concern’. She queried whether there was a mental health nurse on duty in the custody section.

Distressed

Initially the police had detained the man at his home, for his own safety. But the court heard he was in a distressed mental state, punching himself and hearing voices.

When he started swearing at officers, he was arrested, and taken to police headquarters, where he was put in a dry cell.

The man’s advocate said the 41-year-old had been left with no choice but to relieve himself on the floor.

In Tynwald, Mr Cretney also raised the issue with the Department of Home Affairs.

Department member Dr Alex Allinson pledged to take up the matter with Chief Constable Gary Roberts.

Dr Allinson added: ’A new mental health protocol exists which describes the roles that the police and mental health professionals carry out and training on this has been provided in respect of it.’