Mr Greg Denham - The Nossal Institute for Global Health

.Police Training ApproachThe approach:Research into effective police training in dealing with a person who is experiencing amental illness and is potentially violent identified knowledge, skills and attitude in thefollowing domains as essential:• An understanding of the different types of mental illnesses, their prevalence, causes,impact and symptoms• An awareness that the majority of people with a mental illness are not dangerous toothers. Only a small proportion of people with a mental illness may be prone toviolence under certain circumstances• An understanding of the factors that might lead a person who is experiencing amental illness to become aggressive or violent:• Personality type• History of violence• Use of drugs and/or alcohol• External stressors• Failure to take medication• Untreated psychotic symptom