Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Police in England and Wales dealing with more mental health crises than ever

Two Metropolitan police officers
The Metropolitan police want to reduce the time lost by officers dealing with work that other services should be doing. Photograph: Justin Kase zsixz/Alamy

The police are dealing with increasing demands to intervene with people suffering mental health crises, freedom of information requests have revealed.

Some forces across England and Wales have experienced a tripling in mental health requests between 2019 and 2021, data shows. Suffolk police have recorded an increase of 342%, Norfolk 260%, Northamptonshire 90%, and Leicestershire 54%.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.