Police dealing with 'shocking numbers' of mental health incidents

South Wales Police dealt with more mental health incidents in 2016 than any other UK police force, according to new figures.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show 296,773 incidents were recorded across the UK last year, with South Wales Police dealing with 38,712.

This was followed by Nottinghamshire Police, which registered 19,973 incidents with a mental health code, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which registered 19,668.

The lowest number of reported incidents was for North Wales Police, at 766.

"These findings reveal the shocking numbers of mental health issues currently being dealt with by police forces across the country", said Danny Bowman, spokesperson for the think tank Parliament Street.