Mentally ill people held by police too often – watchdogs

Their only ‘crime’ is that they have mental disorders, but they are treated in many ways as if they are criminals.

Mentally ill people held by police too often – watchdogs

Too many mentally ill people are being held in police cells, say four watchdog bodies in England and Wales.

A report from the four bodies covering police, prisons and care called for a rethink of how powers are used to detain people in a “place of safety”.

Some of those who were detained were as young as 14.

Current guidance says police should take the mentally ill to a hospital or similar location in all but exceptional circumstances.

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“Their only ‘crime’ is that they have mental disorders, but they are treated in many ways as if they are criminals. This deplorable situation cannot be allowed to continue,” said Drusilla Sharpling, of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.

When the watchdogs looked closely at a sample of 70 cases, they found that eight out of 10 of those held in police cells had been detained in relation to fears either that they were suicidal or that they could harm themselves.

The report said people detained in police custody under section 136 were subject to the same “processes and procedures” as arrested criminals.

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