She was speaking ahead of an Alliance motion due to be debated in the Assembly on Monday (1 Dec), expressing concern at the amount of police time being taken up responding to mental health calls, and making the case for reforms within the health service to ensure those in crisis receive the right support.

Ms McAllister has said: “It’s absolutely essential that people in crisis receive the right support, from the right service, at the right time. Police should not have to pick up the pieces of a broken healthcare system, answering the calls of those requiring professional mental health support at the expense of tackling crime.

“Every year, the PSNI deals with 39,000 concern for safety calls. That's over 100 calls per day, with only 3% of those being linked to actual crime. Police officers spend over 100,000 hours per year on these cases, often having to spend up to 14 hours sat in A&E when they could be out on the streets. Whilst there are safety concerns at times for individuals in crisis and staff in A&E, we need to recognise the status quo isn't acceptable. 

“The Department of Health receives over half of the Executive’s overall budget, whilst the Department of Justice remains chronically underfunded. This situation isn’t fair on either police officers, healthcare workers, or most importantly, vulnerable people experiencing mental health crisis.

“That's why Alliance is calling for urgent action. Not only do we need the delivery of the Mental Health Strategy, but we also need the implementation of the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ model, which has been spearheaded by the police and endorsed by health workers themselves.

“We cannot afford not to strive for a better, more efficient system, one that works for everyone. Alliance is committed to pursuing it, and we hope the Health Minister and other parties will be too.”