Yes - it would be interesting to see a graph illustrating the incidence of homelessness and the closure of those hospitals. I'm sure they could point to examples of people who did not need to be institutionalized, and swallows always portend spring.Sorry I switched off after a short time. I have been jaded by the system.
When I studied law one of my Professors was fully immersed in the campaign to close mental hospitals and create safe houses in the community for these lost souls. I argued with him in a tutorial that from a practical point of view I was against the idea simply because my limited life experience told me that out of sight out of mind was a government embraced concept and that closing down such hospitals would allow lip service but in the end these community houses would be underfunded and understaffed and we would find increasing numbers of these lost souls in the prison systems.
My idea was shut down by the Professor who lived in his academic tower with higher ambitions and well today we have academics decrying the numbers of mentally ill in gaols around the country. These artificial think tanks are full of these academics and PR Cops now engage with them rather than confront them because of politics as they are simply there to try and create credibility and appear caring and responsible.
This is not the role of a constable at common law. Police enforce the law they do not make the laws. Injecting Police into the process of making the laws is fraught. If they are given a law that is impossible to enforce for some practical reason they hand it up the chain of command to the Minister for Police setting out the practical issues. Then it is up to the Parliament who represent the people to sort out.
My opinion only DYOR
FF
AKIDA BALLISTA
Still, the government cut costs and some bureaucrat got their KPI bonus, so all was not lost.
We should all show our appreciation for the free market fundamentalists who taught us