Call for more investment in mental health services

23 August 2021

Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris has called for greater Government investment in mental health services to ease the strain on frontline police officers and staff.

Darren says he’s saddened by new figures which suggest that up to 4,500 people in mental health crisis were unlawfully held in police custody in England and Wales in a year.

The statistics obtained by the BBC under Freedom of Information come from a report commissioned by Theresa May’s Government and given to ministers in 2018.

Darren said: “It’s saddening to see so many people in crisis being held in police custody. A police cell is not an appropriate place for someone who is urgently unwell – they need to receive the right care and support in an appropriate health setting. Recently we had four officers assaulted by a person in crisis as the local Mental Health Trust did not have a bed and A and E refused to take them. 

“We have contacted the officers involved and offered the Federation's support but it's concerning how much resource policing needs to put into plugging the gaps in mental health service provision. It’s putting a huge strain on already overstretched police officers and staff, who are not trained medical professionals.

“We need more Government investment in mental health services so that people in crisis can get the support they need and to take some of the pressure off our members. This is a very current problem that has been made even worse due to the pressure Covid has placed on an already broken part of the NHS.

“We have also raised our concerns about these issues with chief officers and we are looking to work with the Force to address this critically important matter.”

His comments were echoed by John Apter, the chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales.

He said: “It is deeply frustrating to see more headlines revealing members of the public in mental health crisis are being kept in police cells when they absolutely shouldn’t be as they are patients – not prisoners.

“The Federation has been warning about this issue for many years which presents an unfair risk to both people in desperate need of professional help and the police officers left with no choice but to step in.

“If we fail to talk about this the problem won’t go away - it’s almost like a dirty little secret and nobody wants to accept we have a problem when in fact it’s a massive issue which is only getting worse.

“Our NHS and social care services simply don’t have the capacity and policing is unable to say no. This must change.

“Alongside us, other policing bodies, including the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, have supported urgent need for action as the police service continues to be used to plug the gaps of other agencies when they already struggling to cope with demand. This is grossly unfair and must stop.

“I would urge the Government to take responsibility, both legislatively and financially, so that real money is put into secure non-police facilities, drug and alcohol services, community health and social care programmes so that the most vulnerable people in society can be helped and protected.”