End of Police Attending Mental Health Incidents Will Save ‘Up to 1 Million Hours’ a Year

Home Office says officers freed up to fight crime and protect communities

Metropolitan Police officers outside the Houses of Parliament, in London, on March 21, 2023. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Police forces in England will no longer respond to mental health incidents unless there is a risk to life or crime being committed, the government has said.

The move could save up to one million hours of police officer time per year, freeing up their time to focus on fighting crime and protecting communities, the Home Office said in a statement on Wednesday.