Chief Minister Allan Bell has branded the island’s approach to mental health issues as ‘abysmal’.
He made the comment last week as Tynwald debated a call to protect police budgets.
Mr Bell told the court that a lot of the problems the police deal with in the name of crime are actually more about individuals suffering from mental health issues.
‘Our approach, frankly, has been abysmal,’ he said.
Clarifying his statement, he told the Examiner his comments were in no way criticising mental health service staff or the work they do.
‘It’s the island’s approach to mental health that’s been woefully inadequate for many years. It’s been at the bottom of the government’s list of priorities.’