Mentally ill people detained because they pose a risk to themselves or others are routinely taken to police cells rather than hospital – despite years of warnings against the dangerous practice, official figures reveal for the first.
Nearly 9,000 vulnerable people taken off the streets last year by officers using emergency powers under the Mental Health Act ended up in police stations across England. Official guidelines state police cells should only be used as a place of safety for mentally ill people in “exceptional” circumstances.
The figures, released by the NHS Information Centre, were described as “shocking” by Deborah Coles from the campaign group INQUEST.
