An estimated one million hours of police time will be freed up every year under a new national arrangement that means officers will no longer attend the majority of mental health callouts.
The responsibility for attending to people experiencing a mental health crisis will instead be passed back to health services and police will be sent only if there is a crime or threat to safety.
Chris Philp, the policing minister, said that the police were not the appropriate service to deal with mental health patients, who needed the right care from professionals. He said that officers could instead be diverted to visible patrols, faster response times and better investigations.
Some police forces in England and Wales attend up to 80 per cent of health
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