Temporal Patterns of Mental Health Act Calls to the Police
Author(s)
Vaughan, Adam D
Hewitt, Ashley N
Hodgkinson, Tarah
Andresen, Martin A
Verdun-Jones, Simon
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2019
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Recent research has shown that crime-related police calls for service account for 20–30% of police call-related activity. In this article, we analyse temporal patterns of calls for police service relating to mental health. Approximately, 22,000 mental health-related calls are analysed. Seasonal, monthly, and daily patterns are analysed using ANOVA and negative binomial regression. Mental health-related calls for police service have a distinct temporal pattern for the days of the week and, to a lesser extent, at different times of the year. These calls for police service are elevated during fall/winter months and during the ...
View more >Recent research has shown that crime-related police calls for service account for 20–30% of police call-related activity. In this article, we analyse temporal patterns of calls for police service relating to mental health. Approximately, 22,000 mental health-related calls are analysed. Seasonal, monthly, and daily patterns are analysed using ANOVA and negative binomial regression. Mental health-related calls for police service have a distinct temporal pattern for the days of the week and, to a lesser extent, at different times of the year. These calls for police service are elevated during fall/winter months and during the week. Our analyses show that police resourcing based only on criminal activity is limited for at least this one form of police calls for service. This may have implications for police resourcing and scheduling, particularly in the context of the day of the week and when special mental health teams are needed.
View less >
View more >Recent research has shown that crime-related police calls for service account for 20–30% of police call-related activity. In this article, we analyse temporal patterns of calls for police service relating to mental health. Approximately, 22,000 mental health-related calls are analysed. Seasonal, monthly, and daily patterns are analysed using ANOVA and negative binomial regression. Mental health-related calls for police service have a distinct temporal pattern for the days of the week and, to a lesser extent, at different times of the year. These calls for police service are elevated during fall/winter months and during the week. Our analyses show that police resourcing based only on criminal activity is limited for at least this one form of police calls for service. This may have implications for police resourcing and scheduling, particularly in the context of the day of the week and when special mental health teams are needed.
View less >
Journal Title
Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice
Volume
13
Issue
2
Subject
Criminology
Social Sciences
Criminology & Penology
CRIME SEASONALITY
EMERGENCY-DEPARTMENT
SUICIDE RATES