Croydon police need more training to deal with people with mental illnesses, a campaign group has said.

Members of the Hear Us support group met with officers to discuss how the service could break down barriers between police and people suffering from mental illnesses on November 3, after the group was approached by Sergeant Guy Osland.

Sgt Osland said: “Policing mental health is critical for us – if we get it wrong the effects can be serious, so we want to listen to see how we can improve.

“We view those with mental illness as people who can at times be vulnerable and need our help.

“We really hope positive changes will come about as a result of the police working with mental health service user groups like Hear Us.

“We have taken on board everything which has been discussed, and will be feeding these comments back – particularly the need for more training in mental health for police officers.”

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