POLICE in the county are hosting four events including one in Worcester in support of Mental Health Awareness Week.

West Mercia Police and Warwickshire Police are hosting a series of training events with a number of partner agencies to raise awareness and learn more about some of the issues they face in relation to mental health.

Mental Health Awareness Week starts on Monday and has been organised by the Mental Health Foundation.

The first event is taking place at West Mercia Police headquarters, Hindlip Hall, on Monday and will be supported by Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust and West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).

The events will be attended by representatives from the police, mental health NHS Trusts, social care professionals from local councils, the Ambulance Service and NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups along with organisations like The Samaritans.

Each session will act as a training opportunity and will feature a mix of keynote speakers and experts, group learning workshops and also question and answer sessions with a professional panel.

Assistance Chief Constable Gareth Morgan, Chair of the Mental Health Strategic Board across West Mercia and Warwickshire, said: “This training provides learning for staff involved in dealing with individuals with mental health issues.

"With such incidents accounting for seven to 10 per cent of those received by the two forces, it is critical that we give officers and staff the knowledge and confidence to enable them to respond better to people with mental health needs."

Staff from the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit will be live tweeting updates from @PVPWarksWMercia on Monday and further tweets will be put out throughout the course of the week using the hashtag, #MHAT2014.