June 2001 Volume 82 Number 6 "serving the protectors"
by Bernadette Zimmermann PASA committee member

Managing difficult behaviours

Working in the City Watch House over the past 12 months has been more than adequate in providing me with bizarre new work experiences, as members who frequent the place would know. What has staggered me most has been the continual flow of prisoners who front the charge-counter suffering some form of mental illness.

It took only a week before I was confronted with a prisoner who was written up as being the Australian equivalent of Hannibal Lecter. I'll never forget walking away from his cell at one point, only to hear an almighty smash as he came crashing through the "unbreakable" perspex wall. Sure enough, after containing him in the area in which he was now roaming freely, he was seen on the surveillance cameras to be sharpening a triangular piece of perspex on the non-slip gritty floor.

I can tell you we were glad to see him removed by a number of STAR Group personnel (suitably attired, of course) who then escorted him to the next institution.

Unfortunately, many stories like this come out of police cells on a daily basis. From my own experience, sufferers of mental illness are very difficult people to deal with and require almost specialist attention, not only for behaviour management, but also for the dispensing of a complex line-up of medications.

It is probably no surprise that interest in out-sourcing the custodial arrangements of police prisoners is back on the agenda. There are arguments for and against. Some Australian states have relinquished control of police prisoners, either partly or altogether. I would suspect much of this has to do with attempting to realize short-term financial savings.

However, the experience gained by police - especially those in their probationary term who witness and manage the various behaviours associated with different forms of mental illness - is invaluable. At least in the cells it is learned in a controlled environment. These experiences can only assist members who will eventually attend the numerous and potentially dangerous taskings involving mental illness.

For police, the training is scant in how to deal with unpredictable behaviours associated with these situations. Regrettably, the training of our members who work in police lock-ups is virtually confined to fingerprinting and photographing skills. The skill of effective behaviour management is eventually achieved through on-the-job experience. It shouldn't be left to occur like this. It should be achieved through ongoing structured training programs.

I am concerned that, with recent highly controversial incidents between police and people suffering from mental illness, members are being put at risk of serious injury. How many more of these distressing events do members have to be confronted with before appropriate training is offered?

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