Requesting Ongoing Police Presence on a Section 136 Form (eMHA)

This article explains the steps to follow when requesting continued police presence at your Place of Safety (POS) using the Section 136 form on eMHA.

Step 1: Confirm the Place of Safety

When you first access the Section 136 form, you will be asked to confirm whether your service is the Place of Safety for this incident.

Step 2: Confirm Police Presence

Next, you will be asked to confirm whether the police are currently present at your Place of Safety.

Step 3: Request Ongoing Police Presence

You will then have the option to request that police remain at the Place of Safety.

Step 4: Provide a Reason for the Request

If you request ongoing police presence, you must select a reason from the following options:

• To protect people from an immediate risk to life, or from serious harm
• Not enough staff available
• Person needs transferring to another Place of Safety for assessment
• Other

After selecting a reason, please provide further details in the free text box. This may include any relevant risk assessments or context to support the request.

Step 5: Submit the Request

Click ‘Confirm’ to submit your request.
The responsible police officer will receive the request and either accept or decline it.

Step 6: Await Police Response

Until the officer responds, a banner will appear on the form indicating that a decision is pending.

Step 7: If the Request Is Declined

A banner will be displayed confirming that the request for ongoing police presence has been declined.

Step 8: If the Request Is Accepted

A banner will be displayed confirming that the request for ongoing police presence has been accepted.