The Police Association is lamenting the cancellation of a pilot scheme which would have seen mental health workers sent out with police on crisis calls, saying it would have helped them improve their service dramatically.
The scheme was proposed under the National government, and would have been implemented initially in Auckland, Christchurch and Palmerston North by September this year.
However, police say there is now no funding being allocated for the initiative and it will not go ahead.
Health Minister David Clark has said the scheme was "never fully developed" and was "cobbled together [by National] amid growing public concern about the situation in mental health".
The National Party leader said it would have begun in September
Speaking this morning to TVNZ 1's Breakfast, National Party leader Simon Bridges disputed this, saying his party is disappointed the scheme will not go ahead, and that $100 million had been set aside in the budget for mental health initiatives.
Breakfast host Jack Tame pressed Mr Bridges on if a final plan went to Cabinet, and if $8 million was specifically set aside.
"It must have," Mr Bridges said. "This programme was to start in several areas in September ... the word is it was in contingency, but absolutely, categorically there was $100 million there for mental health initiatives."
The Police Association's Chris Cahill said such a scheme is badly needed and would have been welcomed by police.
"We're very disappointed ... if this scheme doesn't go ahead something else needs to implemented urgently," he said.
"This issue's just out of control - there's been a 50 per cent increase in ... attempts or threats to commit suicide in the past four years - it's up to 21,000 incidents, so there needs to be some response.
"Police are there for these emergencies, but they can only do so much, they're not experts - these people need professional help and at the moment that just isn't there for them.
"They either end up back at police stations, which isn't where they belong, or in A&E emergency centres but then police can end up waiting several hours before there's professional help available."
The issue arises after the Independent Police Conduct Authority last week criticised police's handling of the detainment of a man who had threatened to kill himself.
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