THE Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent has reaffirmed the commitment of his office to ensure that vulnerable people experiencing a mental health crisis receive appropriate care and don’t end up in police custody unnecessarily.

In his first week in office and as part of his continued support of Mental Health Awareness Week which ran from 16th to 22nd May, Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert reaffirmed the commitment of his office to support the key principles outlined within the Wales Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat.   

The Wales Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat is a joint agreement between the Welsh Government and 28 key organisations and partners throughout Wales which highlights how they will work together to help people going through a mental health crisis. It aims to help reduce the number of people detained inappropriately in police cells and drive out the variation in standards across Wales.

The Gwent Mental Health and Learning Disability Partnership Board which includes the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Gwent Police, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, the five Local Authorities, Gwent Police and the third sector fully supports the key principles outlined within the Concordat.

The Concordat sets out the standards of care people should expect if they experience a mental health crisis and details how the emergency services should respond. The voices of those who have suffered mental health crisis helped shape the document. 

Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert, said: "I want to reaffirm the commitment of this office to continue to work with the Welsh Government and our partners in the community to improve the care and support for people experiencing or at risk of mental health crisis. People in mental health crisis are some of the most vulnerable members of our community and I am committed to working with our partners to continue to improve our response to them.”