Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what specialist training is given to police officers attending to people experiencing mental health crises; and what consideration is given to the use of physical force in those circumstances.

All officers receive comprehensive training in assessing the potential vulnerabilities of a person. This includes training on awareness of mental health issues, skills for managing a person at the point of contact, de-escalation skills and understanding the dangers of using restraint techniques with vulnerable people.

Training on mental-ill health is integrated throughout the initial police learning programme which all new recruits must complete. Many individual forces have also gone on to develop their own training programmes, including joint training with partner agencies and local Mental Health trusts.

In October 2016, the College published Authorised Professional Practice on mental health, and this guidance supports all police officers, including custody staff, in responding to people suffering with mental health issues. This training package is currently being reviewed with a planned release shortly.