Section 136 detentions up 2.7%

What section 136 is

Section 136 lets a police officer take a person from a public place to a "place of safety" if they appear to have a mental disorder and need immediate care or control. It cannot be used in someone's own home. The person can be held for up to 24 hours for a mental health assessment, with a possible 12-hour extension in exceptional cases. Police stations should be used only for adults, and only in exceptional cases.

What the figures show

For the year ending 31 March 2026:

32,465 detentions under section 136. Excluding Cumbria Police, which could not provide data, that is up 2.7% on the year before. The Home Office says detentions had been falling between the years ending March 2023 and March 2025.
Where people were taken, where known: A&E in 52.1% of cases (16,298 people), a health-based place of safety in 45.3% (14,167), and a police station in 2.5% (770).
How they got there: leaving out cases where transport wasn't recorded, a police vehicle was used in 45.9% of cases and an ambulance in 49.0%. Where the reason for using a police vehicle was recorded, the most common was that an ambulance was not available in the agreed timeframe (39.9%).
Who was detained: where known, 53.7% were male and 94.6% were adults.

The Home Office urges caution with long-term trends. The Metropolitan Police changed how it records section 136 detentions, and its figures from the year ending March 2024 onwards are not comparable with earlier years. A change in how A&E is recorded also means place-of-safety data from that year onwards can't be compared with earlier years.

Right Care, Right Person

The figures come as police forces continue to put in place the Right Care, Right Person approach, which chief constables voted to adopt in December 2022. Under it, police attend calls about mental health or other health and care issues when a crime has been or might be committed, or to protect people from a real and immediate risk to life or serious harm. The aim is that people get help from the person with the right skills.

Why it matters across settings

Section 136 is used in public places, so it most often affects people living in the community. That includes people supported by mental health, learning disability and supported living services, and people with home care. It can also happen to someone who leaves a care home. A detention often means hours in A&E or a place of safety, and the person may come back to your service after an assessment with new advice or no change at all.

What this means for your service

Plan for a crisis before it happens. For people with a history of mental health crises, make sure the care plan says who to call first (for example the crisis team, a care coordinator or NHS 111), what helps the person, and what to avoid.
Don't rely on the police for welfare calls. Under Right Care, Right Person, police attend when there is a crime or a real and immediate risk to life or serious harm. Check your missing-person and welfare-concern procedures reflect this.
Have a grab sheet ready. If someone is taken to A&E or a place of safety, a short, current summary of their needs, medicines, communication and contacts helps the assessing team. A hospital passport can do this.
Record what happened. Log the incident, who was contacted and the outcome of the assessment. Then review the person's risk assessment and support plan.
Look after the person afterwards. A detention can be frightening. Plan how you will welcome the person back and debrief staff.

This is general information, not legal advice.