Journal Issues

Abstract- The percentage of the global population that suffers from mental illnesses and impairments is relatively significant. A mental health disorder will affect one in four people worldwide at some point in their lives. In the community, dealing with those who have mental illnesses has long been regarded as a crucial aspect of police work. The police occasionally deal with situations involving people who have severe mental problems when responding to requests for their services. Recently, the police have come under fire for how they handled events involving mentally ill people that ended in the victims' deaths or serious injuries. In an attempt to gain an understanding of the nature of police encounters involving people with mental illness, this study examined experiences of encounters between police and people with mental illness. It focuses on the tactics used in responding to occurrences involving the mentally ill as well as the experiences of police. This study used a case study methodology and focused on three instances of police interactions with mentally ill people in the town of La Trinidad, Benguet. The information required for the study was gathered through interviews with seven responding police officers. The findings of the interviews indicate that police believe the situation to be outside the scope of their normal duties, stressful, and that injuries are most likely to happen. The results show that the lack of explicit instructions left the responding police to handle the situation as best they could. Police discovered that working with a social worker and the person's family and maintaining composure and patience will increase the likelihood that the situation will be resolved successfully.

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