The government is to set up a national hotline which people can phone if they are concerned about people who may have psychiatric or other problems leading them to behave erratically, junior health minister Paul Blokhuis has confirmed.

The hotline will operate 24/7 and be manned by healthcare professionals who work on a regional basis, Blokhuis said.

The recommendation was made by a special team set up to look into the rise in the number of people showing signs of strange behaviour on the streets, whether dementia or related to psychiatric issues.

Last year 83,500 reports were made to the police, double the 2011 total.