Policing and mentally ill persons in Hong Kong

Abstract

Since community-oriented policing was introduced in Hong Kong, interaction between the police and the public has increased significantly. Greater public accessibility to police as a result of decentralisation and the 999 emergency response line, as well as increased police mobility due to more police vehicles and patrols, is also likely to have contributed to the increase in contacts between police and mentally ill persons (MIPs). However, the shift toward community-oriented policing has led to an increase in public expectation of the police and the services they provide. Coupled with the commonly held misperception that MIPs are dangerous, and the lack of alternative on-call assistance, police are typically the first and only community service called to manage situations involving such people (Finn & Sullivan, 1989; Tucker, Van Hasselt, & Russell, 2008).