Vulnerable held in police custody rising to worrying levels
Twice as many people were detained in police cells for their own safety says report
Wednesday, 10, Sep 2008 11:31
There are twice as many people detained in "unsuitable" police custody for assessment under the Mental Health Act as those taken to hospital, a study has found.
A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) published today claims that over 11,500 people were detained in a police cell as a "place of safety" under section 136 of the Mental Health Act between 2005 and 2006.
In the same period, 5,900 people were taken to and detained in a hospital.
Under section 136 of the act, officers can detain people, believed to have a mental disorder, who are in a public place and take them to a place of safety.
Ian Bynoe, IPCC commissioner with national responsibility for mental health, admitted that police officers should act quickly to make sure that anyone whose distress or strange behaviour caused concern receives medical and social assessment in a safe environment, but criticised the use of police cells.
"It is [therefore] intolerable that even though it has been government policy since 1990 that a hospital is the preferred place of safety for such an assessment our research shows that twice as many people are detained in police custody as in a more fitting hospital environment," he said.
"Police custody is an unsuitable environment for someone with mental illness and may make their condition worse, particularly if they are not dealt with quickly, appropriately and don't receive the care they need.
"The continued use of cells not only diverts police resources from fighting crime, but criminalises behaviour which is not a crime. A police cell should only be used when absolutely necessary, for example when someone is violent, and not as a convenience."
The report was welcomed by mental health charity Mind, describing its findings as "shocking".
Mind's policy director, Sophie Corlett, said that people were often detained by the police under the Mental Health Act because they were attempting to take their own life or were in an extremely confused and vulnerable state of mind.
"When someone is experiencing extreme mental distress, they need urgent medical care and attention. Police cells are not designed to house people in need of urgent therapeutic care, and are entirely unsuitable for this purpose - it's one of the worst places you could think of to be," she said.
"Police are not mental health experts and do not have training or resources to provide the care that vulnerable people need.
"It's a shambles that despite extra government investment to provide new, health-based places of safety, the funding does not extend to cover staffing costs and in some areas places of safety are standing empty. A much needed resource is going to waste."
In 2006 the Department of Health allocated £100 million to expand the number of appropriate places of safety and improve psychiatric intensive care units.
Members of the Mental Health and Criminal Justice Third Sector Forum also raised concern over the report's findings and called for the NHS to ensure that alternative places of safety were available to avoid the detention in police cells.