Policing and mental health : eleventh report of session 2014-15, report, together with formal minutes

Access to mental health crisis care is limited, particularly at night.

Where people do not have access to appropriate emergency healthcare, the police have become the de facto - "first aid response to mental distress".

Many of the people that come into contact with the police in this way are already known to the health services - as many as two-thirds of those. detained by the police under s. 136 of the Mental Health Act are already in receipt of mental health care. And yet the police are not confident they are qualified or the right people to be dealing with such situations.

This inquiry is largely focused on what happens in those situations when the police are called to someone in crisis.

People who experience mental illness, like everyone else, can come into contact with the police for a wide variety of reasons, the common ones being they might be suspected of having committed a crime, they might have been the victim of a crime, they might be reported as missing, or they might experience a mental health crisis, where they may be so ill that their safety, or the safety of others, could be at risk. One in four people will suffer from mental health illness at some point, and their illness brings with it a vulnerability that makes it likely they will come into contact with the police.

This vulnerability is particularly relevant in a mental health crisis, and when they do so, it should be considered primarily as a health matter, so they can seek and receive support from a mental health team, or if they call 999 to ask for help, the first responders should be health professionals.

Unfortunately, mental health services are not always available.

Mental health services have deteriorated over many years and under successive governments.

There is evidence that some people, particularly from black and ethnic minority communities, are reluctant to engage with mental health services if they have previously had a poor experience.

This can lead to treatment being avoided or delayed, and people seeking help only when it reaches crisis point.