Police cells won't be used as places of safety for teenagers

Teenagers with mental health needs will no longer be held in police cells for their safety, reports The Guardian. The new reforms will be announced later this week by the Home Secretary Theresa May. The maximum time someone in mental distress can be detained by the police will also be reduced from 72 to 24 hours. 

The change in the law comes in the wake of reports earlier this month that a 16 year old girl in mental health crisis was held in a police cell for 48 hours because there were no NHS beds available. This was revealed by Devon and Cornwall's Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton on Twitter.