Thousands of mentally ill people in police custody

Thousands of mentally ill people in police custody

Thousands of mentally ill people are being detained in police cells instead of being taken to hospital, according to a report.

More than 11,500 people with mental health problems were assessed in police custody under the Mental Health Act over the course of a year - twice the number that were taken into hospital.

Ian Bynoe, the commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which discovered the figure, said it was "intolerable".

Police are empowered by the Mental Health Act to take someone suffering from mental problems and in need of control to a "place of safety", where they can be checked by a doctor and social worker.

Hospitals are considered preferable and police custody should be used only in exceptional cases. However, the IPCC study has found that police cells are being used as the primary destination.

Mr Bynoe said: "Police custody is an unsuitable environment for someone with mental illness and may make their condition worse.

"The continued use of cells not only diverts police resources from fighting crime, but criminalises behaviour which is not a crime."