Staffordshire Police 'not stepping away' from vulnerable people

Chief Constable Chris Noble said something had to change in how police responded to mental health call-outs

A police force has said plans to change how it responded to mental health related call-outs did not represent "stepping away from people in need".

The Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police said officers were spending too much time looking after vulnerable people rather than tackling crime.

It comes as the Met Police was criticised for a decision to no longer attend emergency mental health calls.

Staffordshire Chief Constable Chris Noble said "something had to change".

"It frustrates me greatly that my officers are spending more time very often on a shift in an A&E department, looking after a vulnerable person, than they are in the home of someone who has suffered domestic abuse, or caring for children or pro-actively tackling crime," he said.

"Something has to change if policing is going to be allowed to focus on crime and disorder."

When the Met announced similar plans last week, concerns were raised that it would create a "vacuum" if officers did respond.

However Staffordshire's top officer said police were "not best equipped" to deal with mental health incidents and would instead be signposting people to better support.

"Police will not be putting the phone down... but we will be identifying the right agency to pick up those responsibilities," said Mr Noble.

"It will actually maybe mean more time spent in our contact centre, very carefully going through someone's story and vulnerabilities and then signposting them the right way.

"It's most definitely not stepping away from people in need.

"It will hopefully mean more time for our officers on the ground to spend time dealing with crime and disorder."