Greater Manchester Police is receiving a huge surge in calls related to mental health as a result of the pandemic, it has emerged.
On average, 60 officers a day are dealing with calls from people struggling with mental health - double the normal amount.Bev Hughes, the Deputy Mayor, says GMP has set up a fortnightly gold command meeting with partners including those in mental health service to try and address the problem. "I wanted to mention police calls for assistance, from people with mental health problems," said Bev."This is always a significant part of the caseload that police work with, in terms of people needing assistance from the 999 and 101 line."Those calls are up by 42 per cent compared with figures in February.