The Mayor of London must avoid the “mistreatment of vulnerable Londoners” by improving the police response to people with mental health needs.

The London Assembly police and crime committee has written to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to ask that every officer is trained in identifying and attending to the mental health needs of people they deal with.

The chairman of the committee, Steven O’Connell, said: “Mental ill health affects everyone in our city one way or another.

“It’s important for the police service to be equipped to deal with mental health needs sensitively.

“While we recognise the progress the Met has made in this area, our recommendations aim to avoid the mistreatment of vulnerable Londoners and if taken on board by the Mayor and the Met, will strengthen the Met’s response to mental health needs.”

The letter also called on Mr Khan to make sure officers can effectively refer people to the appropriate mental health services and monitor the impact of the Metropolitan Police’s response to mental health.

According to the Metropolitan Police Service, over the past five years police calls relating to mental health have increased by 33 per cent, reaching 115,000 a year.