Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')
As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held at the time of a request, by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.
You asked:
Do you have any procedures in place in your authority that identifies vulnerable ex-veterans who come into contact with the police and if so what are they.
In Response:
The force has no policies or procedures specifically for vulnerable ex-veterans however, the Incident Grading and Deployment Criteria procedure includes the ‘THRIVE’ (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Engagement) principles adopted to assess the vulnerability of all callers.
In addition, the Police & Crime Plan Annual Performance Report - Building Safer Communities and Effective Justice April 2018 - March 2019, which is published on the PCC Website, makes reference to Veteran’s pathway. There are specialist services available to support veterans who may be dealing with a range of health and employment circumstances that may be a causal factor in their offending. This work is undertaken by Project Nova (Walking with the Wounded) and includes a mandatory referral for military veterans for assessment and support.
A route by which the police refer into Project Nova is at the point of arrival at Custody where a person detained is asked as part of a risk assessment whether they have ever served in HM Armed Forces. If so, this prompts further questions around their need for support. If it is identified the individual would like support or are unsure and would like further contact to discuss it, they are referred by the Custody Sergeant via email and provided with two leaflets as to what happens next. Project Nova will generally meet the individual at home or a place they feel most comfortable where a needs assessment is completed to identify what support is needed and how best to implement that support.
