London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jun 21, 2025

Increase in mental health callouts received by police over past five years

Increase in mental health callouts received by police over past five years

Police forces across Great Britain have seen a significant rise in the number of mental health incidents they have dealt with in the past five years.

Some 21 forces out of 48 in England, Scotland and Wales responded to a BBC freedom of information request - and every force reported a rise since 2017.

In Merseyside, mental health-related incidents increased from 7,629 in 2017 to 28,039 last year - a 313% rise.

The government says such pressures are stopping officers fighting crime.

The Home Office said a new approach involving police and health partners is being developed to free up police time and better care for people in a mental health crisis.

BBC Two's Newsnight asked forces how many incidents had been tagged as involving mental health each year.

Of those that responded, police in North Wales saw the largest proportional increase, responding to more than five times as many incidents in 2022 (3,910) as in 2017 (781).

Gloucestershire Police saw the lowest rise, an increase of 16% over the same five-year period - from 6,737 incidents to 7,369.

It is not clear how the data was collected by individual forces and whether the definition of mental health incidents differed between forces, or changed over the five years.

Newsnight was given exclusive access to Merseyside Police's mental health triage team.

As part of the team, a mental health nurse and a police officer work together in Liverpool visiting those who are thought to be struggling with their mental health.

A triage car was first commissioned in 2019 as part of a six-month pilot and it was then recommissioned in April 2020. There are now three cars in the area. Experts believe the model reduces the amount of time police spend on such cases.

Police officers are believed to spend 20-40% of their time dealing with mental health calls and incidents


"It can help prevent hospital admission, get [patients] more access to more appropriate support and in a more timely fashion," says Owen Winsland, a mental health nurse on the team. "And for the police, it reduces the amount of officer time that is spent dealing with health and social care issues."

"Certainly in my time, 17 years, we've never had any standardised formal mental health training," Sgt Paul Shelley told Newsnight. "We do have inputs from health around - in particular - diagnosis and how to deal with people in a particular way."


'Not police work'


The College of Policing defines a mental health incident as "any police incident thought to relate to someone's mental health where their vulnerability is at the centre of the incident". And police officers are estimated to spend 20-40% of their time dealing with such incidents.

Some police chiefs believe the rise is down to police increasingly being seen as the first resort for people in a crisis, as well as a lack of capacity in the community to deal with growing mental health demands.

In November last year, the commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police said for every mental health patient his officers deal with, they spent an average of 14 hours in A&E. Sir Mark Rowley said officers were doing health and social care work that was "not police work".

The Home Office said the new approach it is developing "will make it easier for staff in police control rooms to identify the right agency to deploy at the outset when responding to 999 calls concerning individuals experiencing a mental health crisis".

The government says £150m capital investment announced last month will improve the places and spaces across the NHS for people experiencing - or at risk of experiencing - mental health crises to receive care and support in more appropriate settings outside of A&E.

It says the funding will allow for the procurement of up to 90 new mental health ambulances, which will take specialist staff directly to patients to deliver support on scene or transfer them to the most appropriate place for care.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
×