The study by Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS), found that underlying mental health issues can go unnoticed and undiagnosed in custody.
Young women interviewed for the study stressed the importance of appropriate opportunities to disclose their problems in confidence to female, as opposed to male, officers as soon as possible after entering police custody.
It also emerged that girls who ended up in custody for a second time rarely had their mental health needs checked again, despite the fact that their circumstances may have changed since previous contact with police.
The report claimed that spotting and addressing underlying mental health issues in police custody would allow young women to be diverted to appropriate services, including counselling and rehabilitation, instead of leaving them with a caution and a high chance of ending up back in custody.
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