Three mentally ill children locked in cells every week

Three mentally ill children are being locked in police cells every week despite their vulnerability, The Times has learnt.

A total of 161 under-18s in a year were held in police custody after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act because there were no beds in hospital or specialist units, according to figures.

The revelation prompted calls yesterday for more mental health facilities in hospitals and other NHS services, with police and mental health charities acknowledging that station cells were no place for people in distress.

Theresa May, the home secretary, promised to stamp out the practice last year after a mentally ill 16-year-old girl was kept in police cells in Torquay for two days. The case caused uproar after the local assistant chief constable revealed it on Twitter.

Paul Netherton, of Devon and Cornwall police, tweeted in November that the girl was in custody. “There are no beds available in the uk! . . . Custody on a Fri & Sat night is no place for a child suffering mental health issues. Nurses being sourced to look after her in custody!?!”

The force has introduced protocols that ensure no under-18s are taken into custody and adults only occasionally, but this week he tweeted: “Yet again MH [mental health] patients being kept in police cells as no beds available in D&C. NHS providing nurses to help but still no places #unacceptable.”

According to the National Police Chiefs Council, 161 children with mental health problems who were put in cells in England and Wales in the 12 months to June. Forces in Devon and Cornwall and Sussex had the highest number of mentally ill children diverted to cells, with 25 each.

During that period 947 children were sectioned by the police, meaning that more than 15 per cent were held in police custody. The remainder were placed into a “health-based place of safety”, such as a hospital or care home.

Christine Jones, a commander in the Metropolitan police and the senior officer responsible for mental health issues, said that officers were forced to place “incredibly vulnerable” children in cells because health trusts and accident and emergency departments did not have facilities for mental health patients. She said that cells were not the place for anyone who is mentally ill.

Lord Adebowale, the chief executive of Turning Point, a charity whose focus includes supporting people with mental health problems, said that being taken to custody should be a “never event”.

In The Times today he writes: “We still have a system that is failing people because of a lack of partnership working between the police and NHS, a lack of available mental health staff; and too few NHS beds. We clearly need more health-based places of safety.”

Research by the College of Policing has shown that 12 to 15 per cent of police incidents are linked to mental health issues. Ms Jones has launched partnerships with the NHS and mental health services to try to reduce demand on the system. Police officers have been encouraged to report vulnerable victims, and suspects, so that they can receive mental health support earlier.

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