Introduction Detention under section 136(1) of the Mental Health Act 1983 allows for the police to arrest a person from a public place and remove them to a 'place of safety', typically an emergency department or mental-health unit if it is 'in the interests of that person or for the protection of other persons in immediate need of care or control'. Aims/objective: The aim of this study was to describe the views and perceptions of the process for people with lived experience of mental distress who have been detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a non-probability sample of people with lived experience of mental distress who have been detained under section 136 across Greater London. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using grounded theory. Fifty-eight people with lived experience of mental distress detained under section 136, including four carers, participated in this study. Results Three interwoven themes were identified: (a) process or procedural issues; (b) the professional-patient relationship; and (c) the importance of a supportive therapeutic environment. Conclusion The length of time, multiple assessment points and processes juxtapose against the need for a humane physical environment and supportive therapeutic interactions from all professional agencies. It is unclear how changes proposed in the Policing and Crime Act 2017 will address these patient needs.

Research illustrates the importance of help-seeking for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. However, mandatory reporting (MR) laws can affect help-seeking by requiring some sources of support to report survivors to formal systems. This convergent mixed methods study of 2462 survivors surveyed through the National Domestic Violence Hotline explores how MR laws impact survivors' help-seeking, the outcomes of their help-seeking, and whether their race, gender, and/or sexual orientation influenced their experiences. Findings indicated that MR laws reduce help-seeking for over a third of survivors, provider warnings about MR often reduce survivors' ability to receive the support they seek, and reports when triggered make the situation worse for most survivors. Significant differences emerged by gender identity and race/ethnicity, emphasizing unique contexts for trans and gender non-conforming survivors and survivors of color. We provide policy and practice implications given these unintended harms of MR laws for IPV survivors.

Given the growing complexity in policing in England and Wales, the College of Policing (CoP) are implementing a Police Education Qualification Framework (PEQF) to standardise entry to the police and allow serving officers to gain accreditation for their previous training and experience. This provides occasion to revisit and reconsider longer term international debates about the role and value of tertiary education for policing. Part of this process, in relation to the PEQF, involves the development of a national police curriculum for higher education institutions (HEIs) to deliver to new recruits in the field. This forms part of a wider professionalisation agenda which seeks to align policing with other professions, and enable officers to think more critically about the situations they deal with as part of their role. Sklansky (2014) describes how different definitions of what constitutes professionalism can impact on officers' interpretations of this concept and how they subsequently engage with the proposed reforms. This paper, which is based on in depth qualitative interviews with serving officers who have undertaken an academic qualification in policing, suggests that the relationship between police education and the development of professionalism is complex. Officers need to be trusted and encouraged to use their learning in a way that develops their own personal sense of professionalism. However, this paper will also argue that current perceptions amongst officers are sceptical of the wider agenda and what it really aims to achieve. Rather than being viewed as an enabler to becoming a trusted professional, officers report that standardised prescriptive processes limit the value of 'traditional' forms of police knowledge, restricts critical thinking in the field, and stifles their ability to apply their knowledge in work-based decisions and problem-solving. This paper brings into question the development of a standardised curriculum which may ultimately be viewed as further governance over officer behaviour.

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