Event Report : Seni’s Law – The Mental Health Use of Force Act 

source: Catalyst 4 Change
published: 6 October 2019

On 11 July 2019 Catalyst 4 Change held another of its well-attended Learning Seminars this time focusing on the tragic events and sustained campaign that led to the Mental Health Use of Force Act (Seni's Law) being passed through parliament last year and how various agencies have responded to this significant development.

The event was held in conjunction with our host Dr David Baker : Coventry University.

"Seni’s law" was inspired by Olaseni Lewis who died in 2010 soon after being restrained by 11 police officers in Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham. Under the new Law police officerswill be requiredto wear body cameras while carrying out restraint unless there are legitimate operational reasons for not doing so. And any non-natural death in a mental health unit will also automatically trigger an independent investigation under the plans.

The key speakers were Ajibola Lewis (Mother of Olaseni Lewis) and Marcia Rigg the Sister of Sean Rigg. The event also included a trailer screening : Who Polices The Police courtesy of Ken Fero from Migrant Media.

Other contributors included:

• Matt Manwaring on behalf of West Midlands Police : Street Triage Programme , an award winning mental health intervention service
• Marcia Jarrett from the Tamarind Centre providing mental health support in Black & Minority communities across Coventry

We heard powerful testimonies from Ajibola and Marcia on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones, and how they had worked tirelessly alongside the charity INQUEST and MP Steve Reedto lobby Parliament to usher in the new law.

West Midlands Police representative Matt, talked about the development of the Street Triage scheme and the visible differences that its implementation has bought about. Tamarind representative Marcia, endorsed the need for better preventative and reactionary mental health funding for grassroots organisations, and outlined a range of services that they provide.

Repeat Events:
Catalyst 4 Change is planning to repeat this event in Birmingham and Wolverhampton during 2020. We want to keep this major change in Law at the forefront of policy and practice developments in mental health NHS services in the West Midlands.
Watch our news updates for the follow-up events planned for 2010.

Labour MP Steve Reed, who brought forward the proposed legislation, has previously praised Olaseni Lewis' parents for their campaign, and called the new Bill a "lasting and proud legacy for Seni". He said that while the law had been inspired by Mr Lewis, who was 23 when he died, "many, many people... have lost their lives or been injured simply because they were unwell. The purpose of this Bill is to make sure this can't happen again."