Six months before this autistic girl was taken off a bridge by police, I was an autistic adult taken off a bridge by police. I was mistreated and my mental health episode was escalated by the inappropriate actions of the police officer. My IPCA complaint found the officers did no wrong; my complaint specified that if the officers had not acted inappropriately, then the Police have systems and training that are inappropriate.
I was told mental health teams were being brought in for police response. But for my response, and for this girl’s response, mental health workers would not have attended. Also, two years later, the mental health teams initiative seems to have been scrapped due to lack of funding.
I feel angry and heartbroken for this child who was treated exactly the way I was, but without even the verbal ability and legal knowledge to insist over and over again on being given her written rights upon being threatened with the mental health act (I never got my rights. I was never actually under the mental health act. I was never told this until I was discharged.)
I feel like I should have been able to stop this from happening. That is irrational, as I could not have. I was not well enough.
But whoever took and rejected my complaint could have prevented this. They could have prevented these mental-health pickups that will still be happening to this day.
I’ll never trust the police for mental health help again. Next time I would throw myself off the bridge rather than walk towards them. I can say that confidentally while fully well and non-suicidal. While in a state of distress, I’m pretty unlikely to have second thoughts about that.
That is the cost of our poor policing of our mentally ill and disabled: the lives our mentally ill and disabled.
This girl will probably live a life where she will need to rely on services like mental health residential/inpatient. She will now have health system trauma, mental health system trauma, police trauma, and residential trauma.
This one experience will have lasting effects on her for the rest of her life. The neurotypical people who caused it to happen will probably never fully understand that harm.
Thank you so much for so generously sharing your story and your experience. I'm so sorry this happened to you too. Appallingly poor practice all round, and a very disturbing lack of understanding around mental health.
Oh, try shut me up about it. I have an appointment (that I’d already booked) with community law next month to talk about pursuing it under BORA, because nothing has changed and if you don’t take them all the way to court, apparently nothing will change. Legal action wasn’t something I had the capacity for at the time at all, but if that’s what they did to someone who was explaining coherently the entire time how best to treat them in light of their needs, it doesn’t surprise me at all that this sort of thing happened to someone who couldn’t.
And of course, Labour had created a solution and this government have now scrapped it. Most people won’t even know it was promised or how desperately it was needed. So unfortunately I’ll be repeating that story until the Police or the Government do something about it.
And instead of investing properly in essential public services, instead of focusing attention on educating better these first responders, instead of addressing directly the injurious nature of these very serious police and public mental health shortcomings, instead of providing essential public services with appropriately trained mental health experts, Luxon's government want to make it even more dangerous for vulnerable people to participate in society by continuing to underfund public health services and introducing new citizen's arrest powers.
Where to even begin? With unquestioning police, working to rule? Pressured mental health staff unable to think straight? Or something more sinister? I recently read Martin Luther King Jnr’s April 1963 ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, in which he defends civil disobedience as the only appropriate response to endemic racism. It includes a stunning paragraph at the bottom of page two in which he asks why black people should wait any longer for justice and then lists the many facets of racism in play at the time. More than sixty years have gone by and yet here we still are. When Aotearoa’s Deputy Prime Minister can publicly dog whistle racists by calling protesters fascists, and his soon-to-be successor can shepherd inherently racist legislation through Parliament. Then there’s this government’s dismantling of supports for disabled people and the ongoing appalling treatment of people with mental illness. There’s no longer any room for complacency in Aotearoa.
Incredibly sad and frustrating Bex. Reminiscent of Arie Smith, with the lived experience of Autism/Aspergers and the Christchurch earthquakes being labelled the "face of looting". Being injected with probably Gen 2 anti-psychotic medication - side effects being disorientation, nausea, agitation and hallucinations (the list is too large to put here), without any permission to do so and without checking for her identity is abhorrent. All of those involved, are probably registered professionals and so are accountable. Therefore, māmā and pāpā can hold them to account through their registration boards, councils and Independent Police Complaints Council. I know I would. J
100% agree this is a travesty and as you say multiple failures of training and accountability for the lack of resources to effectively deal with these types of situations. Who sets the scene for there being a lack of resources, support and training? Are they going to be held accountable?
I know the police are doing some work on this in regards to disability. I don't know how well supported that work is. As for mental health staff at Henry Bennett - that falls under Te Whatu Ora and you'd think being core business that support and training would already exist. Ultimately it sits with the Minister of the day (health, mental health. police) to ensure adequate funding and to give direction. Mental health funding has been steadily eroded but it has accelerated under the current lot. Minister Doocey is the current mental health minister (and he does comment in the original article).
I am equally infuriated and heartbroken by this story.
That poor child is now going to have even more to deal with, after the unnecessary trauma inflicted on her by our failing, ableist and racist mental health system.
Thank you for checking. It's been a while since I was this angry and this confronted by uncaring systems. Thankfully I have good and decent people who check in with me and let me rant. It makes such a difference having people who get it and who understand xx
My heart aches for the 11yr old that is gone and her whanau left behind to deal/cope with the fallout. Racism, abelism, and a mental health system still firmly entrenched in the patriarchal biomedical model where medication is the go to response and clinicians know best. Where was the trauma informed, strength based approach. It is just so heart breaking and the effects of this devasting event will be felt by many.
What brasses me off is all these executive clowns (especially Head Clown Luxon) saying they have "empathy" with the parents. They would be entitled to say that they had sympathy for those involved, but until they have been through the horrific situation with their own children, they have no claim to the word or meaning of empathy. Clowns.
🥹🫂 Words fail 🤦 If it is lack of training it needs to be fixed immediately, but possibly comes down to the inevitable - lack of $funding⁉️ By that I don't excuse anyone, but as we know $$ influence how many & what level of expertise your staffing is, and training time avaiable & how often/quality etc. Applies to both Police and the hospital in question 🤷
I am so angry and upset about it all. Such a shocking lack of care
Six months before this autistic girl was taken off a bridge by police, I was an autistic adult taken off a bridge by police. I was mistreated and my mental health episode was escalated by the inappropriate actions of the police officer. My IPCA complaint found the officers did no wrong; my complaint specified that if the officers had not acted inappropriately, then the Police have systems and training that are inappropriate.
I was told mental health teams were being brought in for police response. But for my response, and for this girl’s response, mental health workers would not have attended. Also, two years later, the mental health teams initiative seems to have been scrapped due to lack of funding.
I feel angry and heartbroken for this child who was treated exactly the way I was, but without even the verbal ability and legal knowledge to insist over and over again on being given her written rights upon being threatened with the mental health act (I never got my rights. I was never actually under the mental health act. I was never told this until I was discharged.)
I feel like I should have been able to stop this from happening. That is irrational, as I could not have. I was not well enough.
But whoever took and rejected my complaint could have prevented this. They could have prevented these mental-health pickups that will still be happening to this day.
I’ll never trust the police for mental health help again. Next time I would throw myself off the bridge rather than walk towards them. I can say that confidentally while fully well and non-suicidal. While in a state of distress, I’m pretty unlikely to have second thoughts about that.
That is the cost of our poor policing of our mentally ill and disabled: the lives our mentally ill and disabled.
This girl will probably live a life where she will need to rely on services like mental health residential/inpatient. She will now have health system trauma, mental health system trauma, police trauma, and residential trauma.
This one experience will have lasting effects on her for the rest of her life. The neurotypical people who caused it to happen will probably never fully understand that harm.
And that is the entire problem.
Thank you so much for so generously sharing your story and your experience. I'm so sorry this happened to you too. Appallingly poor practice all round, and a very disturbing lack of understanding around mental health.
Oh, try shut me up about it. I have an appointment (that I’d already booked) with community law next month to talk about pursuing it under BORA, because nothing has changed and if you don’t take them all the way to court, apparently nothing will change. Legal action wasn’t something I had the capacity for at the time at all, but if that’s what they did to someone who was explaining coherently the entire time how best to treat them in light of their needs, it doesn’t surprise me at all that this sort of thing happened to someone who couldn’t.
And of course, Labour had created a solution and this government have now scrapped it. Most people won’t even know it was promised or how desperately it was needed. So unfortunately I’ll be repeating that story until the Police or the Government do something about it.
I expect I’ll still be saying it on my deathbed.
Thank you for fighting for change, I really do appreciate so much all the work that does into pushing back like this, forcing changes to happen
And instead of investing properly in essential public services, instead of focusing attention on educating better these first responders, instead of addressing directly the injurious nature of these very serious police and public mental health shortcomings, instead of providing essential public services with appropriately trained mental health experts, Luxon's government want to make it even more dangerous for vulnerable people to participate in society by continuing to underfund public health services and introducing new citizen's arrest powers.
Utterly irresponsible. Disturbing.
Where to even begin? With unquestioning police, working to rule? Pressured mental health staff unable to think straight? Or something more sinister? I recently read Martin Luther King Jnr’s April 1963 ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, in which he defends civil disobedience as the only appropriate response to endemic racism. It includes a stunning paragraph at the bottom of page two in which he asks why black people should wait any longer for justice and then lists the many facets of racism in play at the time. More than sixty years have gone by and yet here we still are. When Aotearoa’s Deputy Prime Minister can publicly dog whistle racists by calling protesters fascists, and his soon-to-be successor can shepherd inherently racist legislation through Parliament. Then there’s this government’s dismantling of supports for disabled people and the ongoing appalling treatment of people with mental illness. There’s no longer any room for complacency in Aotearoa.
Incredibly sad and frustrating Bex. Reminiscent of Arie Smith, with the lived experience of Autism/Aspergers and the Christchurch earthquakes being labelled the "face of looting". Being injected with probably Gen 2 anti-psychotic medication - side effects being disorientation, nausea, agitation and hallucinations (the list is too large to put here), without any permission to do so and without checking for her identity is abhorrent. All of those involved, are probably registered professionals and so are accountable. Therefore, māmā and pāpā can hold them to account through their registration boards, councils and Independent Police Complaints Council. I know I would. J
So distressing, thank you for your update on this Dr Bex.
Dr Bex,
100% agree this is a travesty and as you say multiple failures of training and accountability for the lack of resources to effectively deal with these types of situations. Who sets the scene for there being a lack of resources, support and training? Are they going to be held accountable?
I know the police are doing some work on this in regards to disability. I don't know how well supported that work is. As for mental health staff at Henry Bennett - that falls under Te Whatu Ora and you'd think being core business that support and training would already exist. Ultimately it sits with the Minister of the day (health, mental health. police) to ensure adequate funding and to give direction. Mental health funding has been steadily eroded but it has accelerated under the current lot. Minister Doocey is the current mental health minister (and he does comment in the original article).
I am equally infuriated and heartbroken by this story.
That poor child is now going to have even more to deal with, after the unnecessary trauma inflicted on her by our failing, ableist and racist mental health system.
Thank you for your empathetic commentary.
I hope the Girl s doing ok.
I hope you are doing Ok Dr Bex?
Thank you for checking. It's been a while since I was this angry and this confronted by uncaring systems. Thankfully I have good and decent people who check in with me and let me rant. It makes such a difference having people who get it and who understand xx
Good on ya. Shout out to our support networks(families/friends) in our lives xoxo
Horrific and inexcusable behaviour on the part of professionals. Their training and processes need a critical review.
My heart aches for the 11yr old that is gone and her whanau left behind to deal/cope with the fallout. Racism, abelism, and a mental health system still firmly entrenched in the patriarchal biomedical model where medication is the go to response and clinicians know best. Where was the trauma informed, strength based approach. It is just so heart breaking and the effects of this devasting event will be felt by many.
What brasses me off is all these executive clowns (especially Head Clown Luxon) saying they have "empathy" with the parents. They would be entitled to say that they had sympathy for those involved, but until they have been through the horrific situation with their own children, they have no claim to the word or meaning of empathy. Clowns.
🥹🫂 Words fail 🤦 If it is lack of training it needs to be fixed immediately, but possibly comes down to the inevitable - lack of $funding⁉️ By that I don't excuse anyone, but as we know $$ influence how many & what level of expertise your staffing is, and training time avaiable & how often/quality etc. Applies to both Police and the hospital in question 🤷