FOI 001795 Children Detained in Custody S136 MHA
Request Number: 001795/22
Date of Decision: 31 May 2022
Subject Area: Statistics
Decision: Disclosed
Request
1. The number of children detained in police custody under section 136 of the Mental health Act 1983 from 2017-2022 broken down by annual year. e.g. can you provide a figure for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (up until the date of receipt).
2. The average length of stay (in hours) of the children detained under section 136 in police custody for each annual year. e.g. 2017- average length of stay 3hours 2018- average length of stay 2hours.
3. The average age of the children in custody for each annual year. e.g. 2017 - average age 16 years old.
Clarification received:
To clarify that 'detained in police custody', means when the subject has been taken to an actual police custody facility.
Reply
Zero.
As per the College of Policing APP, “Under 18 years should not be detained in a police station as a Place of Safety, in any circumstances.”….. “Children must not be taken to a police station as a place of safety under the Mental Health Act 1983, regardless of whether the child has been detained under s 135 or s 136.”
Please also be aware that Police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely required to provide crime statistics to government bodies and the recording criteria is set nationally. However, the systems used for recording these figures are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the crime data. It should be noted that for these reasons this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other response you may receive.
Lincolnshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed information will continue to be protected by law. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of the attached information should be addressed to The Force Solicitor, Lincolnshire Police, PO Box 999, Lincoln LN5 7PH