[Editorial] Right care, right person? Changing police responses to mental health crises

Police officers acting as first responders to people in mental health crisis can increase stigma and trauma. The ‘Right Care, Right Person’ initiative enacted by the Metropolitan Police Service and other forces in 2023 was intended to see the police withdraw from much of this role. However, police will inevitably retain a role in responding to those in crisis. This article argues that, to ensure better outcomes for service users, trauma-informed responses need to become part of the ‘craft’ of policing, and officers trained, and treated, as practitioners.