How major policy shift is changing police response to mental health call-outs

There have been some concerns raised about the impact the new policy may have on Northern Ireland's health and social care sector.

Dr Ross Irvine from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland said "our mental health services are currently at crisis point".

"Thirty per cent of posts across the province are sitting vacant, and that has real-world implications," he said.

"A policy which removes the safety net that the PSNI are currently providing, and transfers that onto services that are already struggling to stand still, does give us cause for concern."

George Hannah, from the NI branch of the British Association of Social Workers, said: "What we're hearing from our members is this is too quick, there aren't sufficient resources in the system to do it safely at…