A health minister has said it is "completely unacceptable" that mentally ill children are being detained in police cells after the issue was raised by a Westcountry MP.
Health Minister Daniel Poulter said there was anecdotal evidence mentally ill children were being held in police cells while their case was handled by the authorities.
He said care minister Norman Lamb was now investigating the problem.
His comments came after a question from Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP for Totnes and a former GP, who said that in Devon and Cornwall there had been 25 occasions this year when children with mental health problems had been held by the police.
The MP first raised the issue in an editorial in the Western Morning News last week. In a question to Dr Poulter in the Commons, she said: "In Devon and Cornwall since the beginning of this year there have been three occasions in which children as young as 12 and 13 with acute mental illness have been detained in police cells rather than an appropriate place of safety. Twenty-five were 17 and under.
"Will you meet with me to discuss how we can end this appalling situation and make sure that all children who are acutely mentally ill ... are seen in an appropriate location?"
Mr Poulter replied: "You are absolutely right to highlight this problem, which is completely unacceptable and something [Mr Lamb] is looking in to.
"There is a lot of anecdotal evidence stacking that this practice is happening. We don't find it acceptable and I, or [Mr Lamb], will be prepared to meet with you to discuss this matter further to make sure that we can properly address this."
Devon and Cornwall Police said it does detain people in cells under section 136 of the Mental Health Act "lightly".