There are fears for the safety of NSW Ambulance Officers, forced to transfer mentally ill patients between hospitals because police will no longer do it.
Police have already withdrawn the service from city areas and will do the same in rural areas from the beginning of February.
Shadow Minister for Mental Health Greg Aplin says even the government has acknowledged paramedics will struggle.
“There are no mechanical restraint devices rolled out in time in these ambulances – it does pose a problem for paramedics,” he told LIVENEWS.com.au.
“They haven’t undergone the correct training and that won’t happen, according to the government letter, until 2011.”