Stuart Mearns
Assistant Divisional Officer at Custodial Services and Mental Division of WA Police Force
Stuart is an Inspector with the Western Australia Police Force at Custodial Services and Mental Division; responsible for policy, procedures, liaison and stakeholder engagement for response to persons experiencing a mental health crisis. He is also the Project Manager for the Mental Health Co-Response Trial.
After probationary rotations in metropolitan Perth, Stuart served in Regional WA at various stations, as a uniformed officer, both general duties and traffic. Stuart was promoted to Sergeant serving as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of various police stations, and then to Senior Sergeant as OIC of police stations, traffic and specialist support units. Stuart was promoted to his current position in 2015 and established a dedicated policing mental health unit.
As a first responder, Stuart has considerable experience dealing with people experiencing a mental health crisis. His motivation for this Fellowship is to ensure that police provide the best possible response and experience to people in crisis in the community. He endeavours to influence and shape the policing response to mental health.