Senior policeman renews mental health fears

A senior policeman has once again taken to social media to raise concern about the amount of police time being taken up coping with mental health patients.

Devon and Cornwall Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton posted on his twitter account: "Yet again MH patients being kept in police cells as no beds available in D&C. NHS providing nurses to help but still no places #unacceptable"

Earlier this year Mr Netherton told Sky News his officers spend 20 per cent of their time dealing with mental health issues even though they are not trained or equipped to do so.

He said tensions were rising between police forces and mental health care providers, possibly as a result of shrinking budgets.

"Certainly over the last few years that tension has been growing. We are all in austerity. We understand that," he said at the time.

"The problem is that the Government funded the health service to provide the establishments for these people to go to. The challenge for the health service is that they’ve got to provide the staff to look after the patients and they are simply having to make some very tough choices.

"The view of the police service is we understand that but it's never right that these patients are coming into police premises and we're having to look after them.

"We haven't got the skills, we haven’t got the facilities. And to be frankly honest a custody block is never somewhere you should put someone who is suicidal."

ACC Netherton also took to social media in 2014 after his officers were forced to arrest and detain a mentally-ill schoolgirl.

In a statement Home Secretary Theresa May said: "I have always been clear that people experiencing a mental health crisis should receive care and support rather than being held in a police cell.

"The police are not medics. They are not mental health nurses. They are not social workers. How the police and other agencies respond to vulnerable people goes right to the heart of the British model of policing by consent.

"Our reforms in this area are bearing fruit and reflect the important steps this Government has taken to vastly improve the police's response to people experiencing mental health problems."