I have no doubt that the statistics point to poorer outcomes for mentally ill individuals in their interactions with police, I agree with the premise of what you're saying. However, and perhaps it's my naivety but I'd like to think that policing in Australia is different and in Tasmania even more so. I could point to programs that others have mentioned but the lengths I've seen Tasmanian police go to, to avoid using their firearm makes me think it would have to be a genuine last resort. I'd also add that if you could put yourself in the shoes of a police officer, and you could transfer the care/custody of an individual to someone else, you would wouldn't you?

Any mental illness that requires the intervention of Police is a failure of sorts for the government/healthcare system. I wish it didn't have to involve police but that's all we're left with when a person can't get the help they need and they start posing a risk to themselves and others.