HMICFRS report – Policing and Mental Health – Picking up the Pieces

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said: “The police will never turn away from someone who needs their help, and officers are very often the first to respond to those in crisis. But, as inspectors have made clear in this report, police are being asked to step in when other services have not attended.

“It is a sad fact that 20% of all calls to Merseyside Police are now mental health related. This places a massive strain on the organisation. The Force work very hard to find ways to continually improve the care they offer to people who are often at their lowest ebb. I was particularly pleased to see the work of Merseyside’s mental health triage cars recognised as best practice.

“The reality is however, that if other services were sufficiently resourced, officers and staff would not need to be deployed in this way to the extent that they are. I hope ministers will pay close attention to the findings of this report.”