Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has welcomed work to make sure people living with dementia get the best possible support.
Mr Ellis visited a training session which is will see over two days around 50 officers and staff from Staffordshire Police become Dementia Friends Champions. They will use their training to help colleagues understand what it’s like for people to live with dementia and the action they can take in the communities they serve.
The scheme is part of a larger programme of work to see that those with mental health issues get the right support.
Mr Ellis is driving work with other agencies to make sure individuals who suffer mental health crisis in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have access to suitable places of safety rather than being locked up in police cells. As a result, the number of people suffering from mental health issues being detained in police custody has fallen by almost 60 per cent since the start of this year.
The Commissioner said: “It was fantastic to see so many police officers and staff volunteering for this vital training to help police deal better with people living with dementia as part of their day-to-day work.
“Mental health is a huge issue across the UK and in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent we are doing something serious about it.”
Staffordshire Police Mental Health Lead Di Malkin, who organised the training, said: “Every day we’re becoming more and more aware of dementia and the impact it can have across our communities. Across the country one in 14 people over 65 are living with dementia. This takes into account the fact that we live in an ageing population.
“Dementia Friends Champions encourage others to make a positive difference to people living with dementia in their communities by delivering information sessions and looking at actions big or small that can help and asking people to take dementia-friendly action.”
The Dementia Friends scheme, which is funded by the Government, is aiming to reach a million Dementia Friends. For more information visit
