THE number of people detained under the mental health act by police in Slough jumped by one fifth - as other areas saw a decline.

Information released by Thames Valley Police has revealed that the number of people detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act between May 5, 2015 and May 4, 2016, rose from 60 to 73 - a 21.7 per cent increase.

In the Windsor and Maidenhead local policing area, there was a 23.4 per cent drop in detentions, falling from 77 to 59, with a 44.4 per cent decrease in Chiltern and South Bucks from 63 to 35.

Of those detained in the three areas, only one was held in police custody - in Slough - as opposed to 14 last year across the three areas.

Across the Thames Valley, there was an 8.4 per cent reduction in the number of people detained, from 1,195 last year to 1,095 this year, with the numbers held in custody falling from 88 to 24.

Assistant Chief Constable, Nikki Ross, who is the mental health lead for TVP said: “I am very encouraged by these figures. TVP recognised that putting people who have been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act into police custody was not in most cases appropriate. "People need to be in supportive surroundings where they are able to receive the specialist help they need.

“We have taken action to change how we deal with these incidents.

"Every front line officer in the force now receives mental health training and our Street Triage schemes operate in eight local policing areas where police officers work side-by-side with mental health professionals to find the best outcome."

Section 136 is a power available to police where a person found in a public place, suffering from mental ill health who is in immediate need of care or control, may be detained and removed to a place of safety in their own interests or that of others.

The release of the stats comes during Mental Health Awareness week, this week, run by the Mental Health Foundation which aims to educate the public about mental health issues and promote better mental health.