NEWLY re-elected police and crime commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson was at police headquarters on Tuesday to highlight work being done by service being piloted by the force as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Wiltshire Police and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust are working together on the scheme, which has introduced mental health triage to the control room in Devizes.

Since September mental health nurses have been based at police HQ so they can give immediate expert advice when officers on the street are dealing with someone experiencing mental health issues.

Mike Hughes, the force's mental health liaison officer, said: "Since the start of the pilot the advice from the street team has helped to reduce the numbers of detentions by police under the mental health act by over 12 per cent and hospital admission rates following this sort of detention, where the street triage team has been consulted, has increased from 23.6 per cent to over 41 per cent."

Mr Macpherson said he was pleased that Wiltshire was one of the forces in the country piloting the scheme.

He said: "Mental health is becoming more and more of an issue for the force so we are pleased to have introduced this service and to see it is having a positive effect."

Alex Chesterton, who manages the new team, said street triage involves a join mental health service and policing approach to crisis care.

The team is office based but sits alongside call handlers and police officers.

He said: "They advise police officers and call handlers on the most appropriate way to support people during a mental health crisis. The team can speak directly to police officers at the scene of an incident."

At times they also speak directly to the person who is need of help and support.