Met Police Cut Mental Health Calls to Focus on Crime
The Metropolitan Police are slashing their involvement in mental health and welfare calls to get back to basics – fighting crime and catching crooks. Officers are currently stuck spending hours in hospitals with patients under the Mental Health Act, instead of tackling gangs and robbers on the streets.
Thousands of Police Hours Lost to Mental Health Duties
In London, cops clock an average of 14.2 hours per patient when dealing with mental health detentions. In March 2023 alone, Met officers spent a whopping 10,000 hours on these cases. Between 2021 and 2022, the force handled over 78,000 mental health-related calls and more than 204,000 welfare checks.
‘Right Care, Right Person’ Scheme Rolls Out
The Met is teaming up with the NHS and social care to launch the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ plan. This means police will only attend mental health emergencies where there is an immediate threat to life. Call handlers on 999 and 101 will triage calls to make sure the right professionals respond.
- Officers won’t attend medical calls better suited to health experts.
- No more welfare checks for missed appointments or medication without police reasons.
- They won’t hunt people who walk out of mental health units unless a crime is involved.
- Ambulances, not police vans, will transport those sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Focus Shifts Back to Crime Fighting
This shake-up frees up officers to crack down on crimes such as knife attacks, robberies, and violence against women and girls. It means faster suspect arrests, better evidence gathering, and stronger victim support.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “People with mental health issues deserve treatment from trained medical pros, not to be criminalised. Too often police are the default for healthcare calls, which harms patients and dilutes our core policing tasks.”
“Our officers are caring but not mental health experts. This move ensures patients get proper care and frees us up to tackle real crime.”
“We’ve worked closely with NHS, London Ambulance Service and councils to launch this nationally backed approach. The Met will always respond when lives or crime are at risk.”
New Training and Proven Success
Met call teams have undergone extensive training to assess each incident and decide if police involvement is needed. The policy, pioneered successfully by Humberside Police, freed up 7% of their officer time.
As the Met rebuilds for the future, ‘Right Care, Right Person’ will help officers focus on what matters: keeping London safe from crime.
