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

Police say increase highlights erosion of mental health services in recent years

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 of 260%; Northamptonshire of 90%; and Leicestershire of 54%.