Member

The Mental Health Act 2025 has sought deliberately to reduce the role of the police in mental health detentions. This reinforces that police cells are not the places of safety and that health services must take greater responsibility. In that context, we must be careful not to blur the lines of responsibility or risk turning police officers into quasi-social workers by default. It is essential that any training framework complements rather than undermines the Right Care, Right Person approach, with clear duties placed on the appropriate health and social care professionals. These thoughtful amendments, supported by the thoughtful observations of the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, raise important issues about capability and clarity in policing. I look forward to the Minister’s response, particularly on how the Government are already supporting high-quality training and how they intend to strike the right balance between preparedness and proper division of responsibilities.