A REPORT by a police watchdog said mental healthcare was failing the public, and leaving police to pick up the pieces.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), released a report on Tuesday, written by Zoë Billingham, who said the system was "failing when they most need help", but this was "not a problem that the police alone can solve".

The report said emergency services "need to stop relying on the 24/7 availability of the police", but praised work done by North Yorkshire's force to improve how it dealt with mental health issues.

It said: "We have grave concerns about whether the police should be involved in responding to mental health problems to the degree they are. Our inspection found that, in dealing with people with mental health problems, police officers and staff must do complex and high-risk work.

"They often don’t have the skills they need to support people with mental health problems. And, too often, they find themselves responsible for the safety and welfare of people that other professionals would be better placed to deal with. This means that already overstretched and all-too-often overwhelmed police officers can’t always respond appropriately, and people in mental health crisis don’t always get the help they need. All this can take a heavy emotional toll on officers and staff."

While North Yorkshire Police was unable to confirm how many of its calls were flagged as mental health-related, its work with the University of York and the College of Policing - called the Connect Partnership - was highlighted as a positive move.

The report said: "It showed that there wasn’t a proven, effective training product that was suitable for the police service. Connect has given all officers and staff tailored multi-agency training.

"It is presented by mental health professionals from the local NHS Trust, based on College of Policing learning objectives. Evaluation and feedback has shown that this training is effective, and it is going to be provided for all officers and staff."

Superintendent Allan Wescott said the report showed the force's commitment to helping improve its service to people suffering mental health issues.

Supt Wescott said: "Mental health is a frequent factor in many incidents that the police are called to, whether a person is a victim of crime, a witness, or someone who is calling us as a cry for help.

"When a person is in mental distress or crisis, it is absolutely essential that the most vulnerable people in our communities receive specialist help and support from mental health professionals. We work very closely with partner agencies to improve our response to these incidents, including the Connect training project - an academic collaboration between North Yorkshire Police, the University of York, the NHS and others to research the impact of mental health on the police service."

The report said there were "a few things the police could do better", such as giving officers and staff better mental health training, but acknowledged this was a short-term fix.

It said: "These can only go so far, and there needs to be a longer-term solution. When it comes to mental ill-health, the police should be the last resort, not the first port of call."