In the past five years, mental health incidents handled by police forces in the United Kingdom have increased dramatically, with Merseyside Police alone experiencing a 313% increase. The BBC’s Newsnight programme queried 48 forces regarding the number of incidents involving mental health each year, with North Wales experiencing the largest proportional increase, from 781 in 2017 to 3,910 in 2022.
According to the Home Office, a new strategy is being developed to free up police time and improve mental health crisis care. The College of Policing defines a mental health incident as “any police incident believed to relate to someone’s mental health where their vulnerability is at the centre of the incident,” and it is estimated that officers spend 20 to 40 percent of their time dealing with such incidents.
Newsnight has been granted exclusive access to the mental health triage team of Merseyside Police, which consists of a mental health nurse and a police officer working in Liverpool. Since its six-month pilot in 2019, three cars have been commissioned in the area to assist in reducing the time police spend on such cases.
Experts believe the increase is a result of the police increasingly being viewed as the first line of defence for people in a crisis, as well as a lack of community capacity to meet rising mental health needs. In November of last year, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police of London stated that officers spent an average of 14 hours per mental health patient in A&E, performing tasks that are “not police work.”
The government has announced a capital investment of £150 million that will be used to improve places and spaces throughout the NHS for those experiencing or at risk of experiencing mental health crises, and to purchase up to 90 new mental health ambulances. It is hoped that this will enable specialised personnel to provide assistance at the scene or transport patients to the most suitable care facility.
In the past five years, a BBC freedom of information request uncovered a dramatic increase in the number of mental health incidents dealt with by British police forces. Merseyside Police alone saw a 313% increase since 2017, while every other force reported an increase. According to estimates, police officers spend 20-40% of their time dealing with such incidents. Experts attribute this trend to the police being viewed as the first line of defence for people experiencing mental health crises, as well as a lack of community resources.
In response, the Home Office has announced a £150 million capital investment to improve places and spaces across the NHS for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing mental health crises. The funding will enable the purchase of up to ninety new mental health ambulances that will transport specialised personnel directly to patients to provide support on the scene or transport them to more appropriate care facilities. The mental health triage team of Merseyside Police has also been granted exclusive access as part of a six-month pilot programme designed to reduce the amount of time police spend on such cases.
It is hoped that these new measures will allow people experiencing a mental health crisis to receive better care, while allowing the police to devote more time to fighting crime.
