Local authorities urged to be 'more vigilant' over suicide 'hot spots'

The Government urged local authorities and agencies today to do more to help prevent suicides at well-known "hot spots".

The Department of Health has published a new guide on how to deter people from killing themselves at such places as railway bridges or cliffs.

Useful measures include installing telephone helplines, placing signs urging people to contact the Samaritans, putting up barriers and having dedicated "suicide patrols" of volunteer or paid counsellors to keep an eye on the area.

The guide was published on the same day that new figures reveal that the national suicide rate continued to fall last year and now stands at its lowest ever level.

The three year average is now 8.5 deaths per 100,000, down from 9.4 deaths per 100,000 in 1995.

In 2004, there were more than 300 cases of suicides involving people jumping from a height or throwing themselves in front of vehicles.

Evidence suggests that lives can be saved when local agencies work together to deter suicide in high-risk locations, a Department of Health spokeswoman said.

In 1998, the Government introduced legislation to reduce the number of paracetamols and aspirins in a single pack. A study showed that suicides from overdoses of paracetamol fell by nearly a quarter in the three years following the introduction of the legislation, the spokeswoman said.

Health minister Rosie Winterton said: "Every death from suicide is preventable, a loss for society and a needless tragedy for the friends and family of the victim. We all have a role to play in tackling this.

"The latest figures on suicide show that the national rate continues to fall and is at its lowest level since records began. However, despite this news, we must work hard to ensure that this downward trend continues.

"We know that there are actions that can be taken to reduce the risk of suicide.

"I urge everyone to play their part in combating suicide - by working together we can save lives."

Figures show that 5,906 adults killed themselves in the UK in 2004 - 1% of the total of all UK deaths. Almost three quarters of suicides were men.

For both men and women, Scotland had rates which were consistently higher than those for the other countries of the UK for the period from 1991.

For most of this period male suicide rates in Scotland were more than 50% higher than the overall UK rate.

The suicide rate for men in Wales was also higher than the overall UK rate across this period, as was that for Northern Ireland from 1999/2001 onwards.

The female suicide rate in Scotland was also consistently higher than the rates for the other countries.

In England, the highest suicide rates were generally seen in the North West and North East for men and the North West and London for women.

The lowest male suicide rates from 1991 to 2004 were in the East of England region.

Two thirds of local areas in Scotland in the period 1998-2004 had a male suicide rate that was 50% or more higher than the overall UK rate.

In Northern Ireland, both Belfast North and Belfast West had suicide rates more than 50% higher than the UK rate.

In comparison, Belfast East had a low rate compared to the UK as a whole.

Very high rates were also seen in Denbighshire in Wales, and in Blaenau Gwent.

In England, very high rates were observed in Blackpool and Middlesbrough.

The highest male rate in the UK in 1998-2004 was in the Shetland Islands (47.5 suicides per 100,000 population).

In that period, only one English area, Blackpool, was among the 20 with the highest male rates.

In the same period, the female rate was 50% or more higher than the overall UK rate in many Scottish areas. In Wales, very high rates were found in Conwy and Ceredigion.

In England, clusters of local areas with very high rates were found in Cornwall, inner north London, and coastal areas of Sussex.

Glasgow City had the highest female rate in that period (15.8 per 100,000 population) and 12 of the 20 areas with the highest rates were in Scotland. Camden and Conwy had the highest rates in England and Wales respectively.

Copyright Press Association 2006.