Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of contacts that each police force has had (a) with people experiencing suicidal ideation and (b) where a suicide is in progress in the last 12 months.

The Home Office does not collect or hold data on these subjects.

The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice guidance contains a chapter intended to support the police in offering crisis intervention to people who are at risk of suicide and to respond professionally and effectively when suicide occurs: https://www.college.police.uk/app/mental-health/suicide-and-bereavement-response

The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s annual report on the number of deaths during or following police contact in England and Wales contains information on the number of apparent suicides following police custody. The most recent publication is here: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/publications/annual-deaths-during-or-following-police-contact-report-202324

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing, and key health and voluntary sector stakeholders to improve support for those at risk of suicide following release from police custody.