FIVE children suffering mental health crises have been held in police cells in Dorset on occasions between 2012 and 2015.

The children, all of whom were under 18 at the time, were taken to cells under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

The law allows for officers to take youngsters to a place of safety if it is believed the child has a mental illness and is in need of care.

Police can detain children under the section for up to 72 hours as a last resort if the NHS fails to find a suitable safe place such as a hospital bed or psychiatric unit.

During the time of the detainment, mental health professionals may arrange assessments or discuss the possibility that the child may be sectioned.

Stuart Lynch, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Rehabilitation Services lead at Dorset HealthCare, said: “Children and young people experiencing an acute mental health crisis are usually seen within their home by a specialist CAMHS crisis worker, in a CAMHS clinic or – following a referral - in a local hospital A&E department.

"In very rare cases which require urgent intervention, and may require the support of the police, young people can be taken to an assessment suite at St Ann’s Hospital in Poole.”

There are currently 10 inpatient beds and a day programme provision for young people with mental health problems in Dorset.

Dorset police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “The chief constable and I are passionate about ensuring no young person under the age of 18 is detained under Section 136 in a police custody suite.

"From April 1 2015 we made this a 'never never' event and there have been no detentions since then.”

Nia Charpentier from charity Rethink Mental Illness said: “We’ve heard some horror stories from supporters who have been kept in police cells at a time of crisis and found it terrifying.

"Police are often doing the best they can but they can be stuck between a rock and a hard place: they want to get someone to safety, but there is nowhere appropriate nearby to take them.

“Last year Theresa May made a commitment to stop this happening, the numbers are falling but we need to ensure the number goes down to zero.

"Keeping anyone, but particularly a child, in the midst of a mental health crisis in a police cell is something that should never happen.

“We also need to see more support being given to people with a mental illness earlier on so that they don’t end up in a crisis in the first place."

Anyone in need of advice or information about crisis care, or anything related to mental illness, can visit rethink.org