SINGAPORE: In Parliament on Tuesday (April 2), amendments were passed that would give the police more powers to apprehend individuals with mental health issues who have been considered a safety risk to themselves or other people.
During the amendment debate, however, Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru expressed concerns over reducing the threshold requirement for a police officer to apprehend someone and highlighted the need for more education and training for police officers and the public.
“I have concerns that the threshold being lowered has to be very carefully weighed up against the expressed aims of Singaporean society to do more to properly support and address mental health challenges facing some of our fellow Singaporeans, especially when law enforcement officers do not necessarily have the training and resources to fully understand the challenging and complex issues surrounding mental health conditions,” said the Sengkang MP.
Ms He asked what safeguards, guidelines, training or support police officers would be given when applying the new threshold to situations on the ground, especially in cases where the suspect has already been detained.
“After all, we are drawing a delicate balance between public safety on the one hand and the proper treatment and approach to those living with mental illness and conditions,” she added.
The MP cited the example of mental health advocate Ms Chan Li Shan, who had written an article in JOM published on March 28.
Ms Chan, who was arrested for suffering from her first and only episode of psychosis, wrote about her experiences in a piece called Mental Illness is not a Crime.
“I object to the human dignity of persons suspected of mental illness being violated in the face of disempowering actions,” wrote Ms Chan.
The Sengkang MP also voiced concerns that the amendments would “unnecessarily perpetuate stigma against persons living with mental health conditions,” especially after Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said in Parliament in February that mental health is a key national priority.
Ms He, who has previously spoken up in Parliament on mental health, ended her speech with two suggestions.
First, more public education campaigns would help people understand “the difficulties involved in achieving the tricky balance between public safety and the needs and dignity of those living with mental health conditions.”
Second, since members of the public may receive training under the Community Life-saving Programme offered jointly by the People’s Association and MHA, which offer the Standard First Aid + AED Awareness Course (SFAA) and the CPR+AED Certification, the Singapore Emergency Responder Academy’s “First Aid in Mental Health” training programme could also be added.
“Volunteers with the People’s Association Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) should also attend such training so that they are able to respond to persons experiencing mental health crises.
With their knowledge, these trained volunteers can also serve as ambassadors to educate their communities about persons living with mental health conditions,” said Ms He. /TISG
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