Police forces across England will begin rolling out a new approach to dealing with health incidents where policing is not always the best agency to respond, as a national partnership agreement is signed today.

The new approach will mean police stop attending some mental health incidents, unless there is a significant safety risk or crime being committed, and instead refer these to the appropriate partner agency.

A national toolkit has been developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing to support police forces in implementing Right Care Right Person, which will see vulnerable people receiving the specialist health support they need.

Commenting on the initiative, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, said: “For some time, South Yorkshire Police has been preparing for this major change in the way they respond to certain types of vulnerable person.

“Humberside Police adopted the Right Care, Right Person initiative in 2020 and have over 500 fewer callouts per month as a result. Whilst this number may seem impressive, it’s important that partner organisations – the NHS, mental health services, adult social care – are consulted and a collaborative approach is adopted.

“I welcome this new policy and thank our force in South Yorkshire for their efforts in phasing in Right Care, Right Person with partner agencies.”