NINE people aged 17 or under were detained by police in West Yorkshire under the Mental Health Act during 2014, the county’s force has revealed.

Four of those were aged 15, one 16 and four others 17, with females accounting for two thirds of the total.

The longest time anyone was held in detention was a 17 year old male who was kept for 25 hours and the shortest was a female of the same age, kept for 24 minutes.

West Yorkshire Police said: “Wherever possible, persons suffering from a condition likely to relate to their mental health would be immediately conveyed to a relevant place of safety.

“West Yorkshire Police regard the detention of a person suffering from mental ill health at a Police Station as a last resort and continually work with partners across the county to minimise the occurrences where this happens.”

A ‘street triage’ scheme has been piloted by the force, using mental health nurses to provide an immediate face to face or telephone assessment.

Police believe that is proving effective but add that on some occasions a person can only be taken to a police station as a place of safety due to issues such as violence and high levels of intoxication.