Standard Operating Procedure
ALLIED EMERGENCY SERVICES - POLICE
DPSOP 3.28
Version 1.2
Purpose
This procedure is to direct personnel on the management of incidents that are shared between
Ambulance Services and New Zealand Police.
Policy
It is our policy to send incidents to Police Communications (Police Comms) for the situations
described in this procedure. Any situations that are not included in this procedure must be
discussed with the Duty Centre/Team Manager prior to sending the incident to Police Comms.
Dispatchers will acknowledge and respond appropriately to all incidents received from Police Comms.
The initial decision to respond an Ambulance resource wil be made by the Clinical Control/
Communication Centres.
Dispatchers will maintain communication with Police Comms during the active management of all
incidents involving both services.
Procedure
3.28.1 Police Dispatch Guidelines
Below are guidelines of what incidents Police Comms need to be advised of. While the list covers
many events where Police need to be notified, there wil always be incidents that do not come under
one of these headings. If staff have any doubt regarding Police attendance at an incident they need to
escalate to the DCM/TM.
NOTE: If Police have been advised, but the situation changes (positively or negatively), then Police
should be updated via lnterCad.
Event
Notification to
Police
Notes
Police
Responsibilities
MVA (on or off the
Always
Attendance at Police Police will always attend if there is
road)
discretion.
injury, road blockage or a dispute
as to fault. If none of this applies,
then the parties may be asked to
swap details and go through their
insurance companies. Both services
can stand the other down if they
arrive on scene and deem the other
service not necessary.
MVA on the
Always
Police will always
Police always attend as a minor
motorways
respond
crash could lead to more crashes
10/10 Calls or
Always
Police will always
Dispatchers should ascertain, if
requests for Police
respond
possible, what the reason is
attendance from
behind the request. This enables
crew
Police Comms to dispatch the
appropriate resources.
Sexual Attacks
Always
Police will always
respond
Child Abuse
Always
Police will always
If Ambulance crew believe the
Clinical Control Centre / Communications Centre – Standard Operating Procedure
Title: DPSOP 3.28 Al ied Emergency Services - Police
Issue No: v1.2
Doc No. DPSOP 3.28
Issued by: Jackson Whitham, Operations Process Manager
Issue Date: Apr 2019
Page 1 of 4
Authorised by: CCS Monthly Forum
Date for Review: Sep 2019
respond.
injuries to a child resulted from
child abuse.
Completed Suicides Always
Police will always
Al deaths by suicide need an
respond.
investigation by Police.
Attempted Suicides Always
Status 1 – Police will Police attendance wil depend on
• Overdoses.
always respond (as
primarily the status of the patient
• Hangings.
may end in death).
• Cut wrists.
E.g. Is the patient likely to die or
Status 2 or below -
require immediate and serious
Attendance at Police ED/ICU care?
discretion.
Is the matter possibly suspicious?
Self harm matters:
Do not notify
Police will only
Police are not required to attend
(Low level threats to
Police.
respond if
unless directly requested by
self harm, low level
requested.
ambulance due to known risk
self harm). This
factors that ambulance not able to
includes self harm
handle.
with a knife, or similar
sharp instrument.
Workplace injuries
Always
Status 1 – Police
Update Police with patient status
wil always respond
ASAP.
(as may end in
death).
NOTE: Notification of a workplace
accident to Worksafe is the
Status 2 or below -
responsibility of the employer.
Attendance at Police
discretion.
Underage
Always
Attendance at Police
intoxicated
discretion.
juveniles
Response
Always
Attendance at Police
Coordination
discretion
Centre NZ
Unexplained or
Always
Police will always
St John: in accordance with OMP
unexpected deaths.
respond.
5.5
Assaults
Always
Status 1 – Police
Update Police with patient status
wil always respond
ASAP.
(as may end in
death).
Status 2 or below -
Attendance at Police
discretion.
Mass Casualty
Always
Police will always
Incidents (MCI's)
respond.
Bus, aircraft,
Always
Police will always
railway or marine
respond.
Hazardous
Always
Attendance at Police
Materials
discretion
Incidents Involving Always
Police will always
Firearms
respond.
Incidents where
Always
Police wil always
Ambulance should advise police of
there is a perceived
respond
the current threat is (e.g., weapons,
danger to
number of people involved) - this
responding
enables Police Comms to dispatch
Ambulance crew
the appropriate resources to the
scene. ETA of Ambulance and if
Clinical Control Centre / Communications Centre – Standard Operating Procedure
Title: DPSOP 3.28 Al ied Emergency Services - Police
Issue No: v1.2
Doc No. DPSOP 3.28
Issued by: Jackson Whitham, Operations Process Manager
Issue Date: Apr 2019
Page 2 of 4
Authorised by: CCS Monthly Forum
Date for Review: Sep 2019
they are going to SFP is also
required.
Explosions
Always
Police will always
respond.
Helicopter landing
Always
Attendance at Police
on the road or in a
discretion
public place
Dog Bites
Always
Police will always
Contact animal control.
respond
Intoxicated Persons Notification
Police will only
Police are not required to attend,
dependent on
respond if requested unless directly requested by
behavior
ambulance due to any known risk
factors that impact ambulance
personnel safety.
3.28.2 Search and Rescue (SAR)
Police are responsible for coordination of all Category 1 local level search and rescues on land,
subterranean, inland waterways and close to shore marine rescues (up to 12 nautical miles).
Regardless of the caller’s ability to locate themselves, any incident where a patient is: on a mountain,
in the bush or on the water, should be sent to Police so that the SAR coordinator can assess the
situation. SAR wil upon advice take incident control and wil expect to be advised of the outcome by
the Police dispatcher.
Send the incident to Police as a request to activate SAR for the following incidents:
• Incidents on a mountain that cannot be adequately located
• Incidents in the bush where the caller cannot provide adequate location information
• Al beacon activations
• Sea rescues
• Al other incidents that may require SAR in consultation with the Police
3.28.3 To dispatch Police:
1. Send the incident to Police Comms via InterCAD advising the situation and reason for
request
2. Send any relevant updates via InterCAD as new information is received. This includes
any changes to the patient’s condition or requests from scene that may require Police
Comms to review their decision to respond.
3.28.4 Incidents received from Police Comms
A CAD incident must be created for all incidents received from Police Comms. Phone requests
will be managed by the receiving call handler. Requests received in the pending queue via
InterCAD must be managed by the Dispatcher. The Dispatcher may ask another staff member to
recode these incidents.
1. Open the incident and briefly review the comments to establish if an ambulance
resource is required and ascertain a chief complaint.
2. If an ambulance response is not required, acknowledge receipt of the incident via
InterCAD and advise that an ambulance will not be responding, reason why and
request Police notify Ambulance if there is a change in the patient’s condition/situation and
request Police Comms re-send the incident.
NOTE: If the incident does not require an ambulance response, change the response
priority to ‘notification’, and keep the incident open in the pending incidents queue until
Police Comms acknowledge receipt of comments.
3. If the incident requires an Ambulance response, enter the problem/nature as the
appropriate chief complaint override code utilising the Police suffix. If there is insufficient
Clinical Control Centre / Communications Centre – Standard Operating Procedure
Title: DPSOP 3.28 Al ied Emergency Services - Police
Issue No: v1.2
Doc No. DPSOP 3.28
Issued by: Jackson Whitham, Operations Process Manager
Issue Date: Apr 2019
Page 3 of 4
Authorised by: CCS Monthly Forum
Date for Review: Sep 2019
information to determine a chief complaint, allocate the incident as an unknown problem –
32B03.
4. Dispatch the incident to the appropriate resource based on the incident response priority
in line with current procedures.
5. Attempts must be made to obtain further information if the initial information is insuf icient
to apply a response and/or to identify the incident location and / or the safety of the
scene. Questions may be asked via InterCAD in the first instance, and fol owed up with a
phone call if no response is received.
6. If the response priority changes, review the original dispatch decision and adjust
accordingly in line with existing dispatch procedures.
7. Advise Police Comms of the Ambulance response and location (or ETA) of the responding
resources.
8. Transcribe appropriate incident comments with all relevant information received from
Police Comms during the active management of the incident for the responding
Ambulance crew.
9. Communicate all relevant information to Police Comms.
NOTE: Incidents received from Police Comms requesting life extinct sign-off are not routinely
attended by Ambulance. These incidents need to be referred to the DCM/TM to discuss with the
Operations Shift Supervisor/Duty Manager.
Clinical Control Centre / Communications Centre – Standard Operating Procedure
Title: DPSOP 3.28 Al ied Emergency Services - Police
Issue No: v1.2
Doc No. DPSOP 3.28
Issued by: Jackson Whitham, Operations Process Manager
Issue Date: Apr 2019
Page 4 of 4
Authorised by: CCS Monthly Forum
Date for Review: Sep 2019
