London mayor pledges mental health support for young offenders

The promise features in his five-year police and crime plan, which lists keeping children and young people safe as one of three priority areas.

The plan details how mental health can be a driver for both offending and victimisation and is an issue the police regularly comes into contact with. Among action highlighted will be to improve continuity of care for young people with mental health problems, across justice, health and other services.

"In situations where children or those with vulnerabilities such as mental health conditions come into police custody, we will work to improve measures to divert these people into appropriate social and health services better equipped to safeguard them, helping to reduce reoffending and repeat victimisation," the plan says. 

The Met Police will also trial new "mental health investigation teams" that will work with partners to problem-solve cases and reduce demand by addressing the underlying issues of vulnerability linked to mental health.

Other child safety issues the plan pledges to address are child sexual exploitation (CSE), internet grooming and knife crime.

While conceding that youth services and the Met Police are facing "decreasing resources" the plan also calls for better co-operation across services to prioritise child protection and safety.

"Too many children are born into violent and abusive households, into communities damaged by crime and antisocial behaviour, into chaotic families affected by drugs and alcohol abuse. It cannot be right that a child's future - and their childhood - is undermined in this way," says the plan.

Intervening early and the use of "diversionary startegies" to stop young people at risk of offending being drawn into crime and put in custody is also part of this pledge to better protect children in the capital.

Another concern raised is the higher proportion of young black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Londoners lacking confidence in the police. While 70 per cent of white 16- to 24-year-olds think the police do a "good job", this figure falls to 61 per cent among BAME young people in the same age group.

The plan points out that BAME people in London are 2.5 more likely to be stopped and searched than white people, rising to 10 times more likely for vehicle stops.

"I want every Londoner, regardless of age or background, to have trust and confidence in their local officers and feel that their local concerns are being met, whoever they are and wherever they live," said Khan.

In November last year a Ministry of Justice report found that across England and Wales BAME boys aged between 10 and 17 were 35 per cent more likely to be arrested than young people of white ethnicity.

The other two priority areas of the plan are tackling violence against women and girls and addressing hate crime and intolerance.