A psychiatric nurse will be teamed up with an RCMP officer later this year in a pilot project aimed at finding a better way to handle calls involving people with mental illnesses.
Red Deer RCMP Insp. Ray Noble said the number of calls that involve someone with mental health issues has jumped 27 per cent over the last three years.
“It’s not going away unless we change the way we do business,” he told a town hall meeting at the Black Knight Inn that drew a handful of residents on Thursday night.
Police typically get the call when a person with mental illness is in crisis. However, using the justice system is often not the best way to handle the problem.
“If it’s a health-related issue we should be looking at a health-related solution,” said Noble.
The RCMP have formed a Police and Crisis Team and beginning in December a psychiatric nurse will join an RCMP officer and the pair will work on helping those with mental issues get the help they need. A database on individuals will also be compiled so police responding to a 911 call that involves someone known to have mental health problems will a better idea of the best approach to take.
Similar teams have proven successful in other cities, including Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie and Vancouver. Red Deer’s team will spend a week with Calgary’s team as part of their training.
The Primary Care Network, an organization of 74 Red Deer and area physicians devoted to preventative medicine initiatives, will provide the $60-$70,000 cost of paying for the nurse during the 13-month pilot project.
Noble said past experience with similar teams shows police can’t expect to see a reduction in the number of calls that involve someone with mental illness.
The real benefit is in the types of calls police get. Once a team has been working in the community and people are aware of it the number of calls requiring police to make arrests drops dramatically. Instead, there are far more calls where people are voluntarily surrendering to police to get help.
“That’s a huge benefit,” he said, adding it greatly reduces the risk of police having to use force on someone. The amount of police time that must be devoted to those kinds of calls is also reduced significantly.
Primary Care Network physician Dr. Betty Cowie said the organization works to fill the gaps it sees in medical care and the pilot project is another step towards that goal.
Police are also undertaking new training programs to teach officers about mental health first aid and how to identify various illnesses and the best way to respond.
Another training session focuses on available programs and the Mental Health Act.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com
— copyright Red Deer Advocate