Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to police officers to (a) identify and (b) respond to offenders with unmet (i) health and (ii) social needs to divert them away from the criminal justice system.

The Home Office has previously published guidance for police forces and local partners outlining approaches they should consider, collectively, to support people they encounter who have mental health problems, learning difficulties and drug misuse issues.

That sets out that when the police identify a person whom they suspect of committing an offence as being vulnerable, forces have systems in place to refer people into a Liaison and Diversion scheme.

Health professionals within criminal justice Liaison and Diversion teams will then: assess the person’s health needs, refer them for treatment or support (when appropriate), and provide relevant information to police and courts to help inform charging and sentencing. Moreover, the College of Policing has published guidelines for ‘recognising and responding to vulnerability-related risks’, which provides a framework to ensure vulnerable people receive appropriate help during interactions with the police