MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - UK police should record the race and age of every person against whom they use force, Home Secretary Theresa May said Thursday.
May will announce an "in depth review of the police use of force" at a conference in London on policing and mental health on Thursday, a Home Office spokesperson was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
During her speech, the Home Secretary will call on police to complete forms noting the ethnic background and age of anyone acted upon by force, according to the spokesperson. May also believes police should record every incident of force, noting when an individual is restrained, shot with a Taser gun or detained under the Mental Health Act.
"Better guidelines are required around mental health and policing but adding loads of bureaucracy doesn't help people with mental health issues," Doug Campbell, of the Police Federation of England and Wales was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
"There need to be clear definitions about what these new protocols mean and clarity as to whether or not they truly benefit people suffering from mental health issues and the police who deal with these situations," he added.
Many police ranks worry the additional bureaucracy could cause officers to avoid confrontations or properly carry out their duties due to the increase in time-consuming paperwork, according to The Telegraph.
May's orders are part of a drive announced last year to decrease the police's involvement in dealing with people suffering from mental health problems. In May 2013, the Home Secretary told the Police Federation during its annual conference in Bournemouth that officers were not meant to be social workers, psychiatrists or ambulance drivers and that health and social care services were responsible for incidents involving people with mental health problems.
