Victoria police say specialized mental health teams producing results
VicPd makes pitch for its continued involvement, saying mental health calls to police down 11 per cent
The Victoria Police Department is seeking support from Victoria City Council to continue a project that added two new police officers to the region's specialized mental health teams and saw reductions in clients' evictions and emergency room visits.
For the past six months a city-funded pilot project has added two officers to the three Assertive Community Treatment teams that serve more than 425 clients in the region. The project complemented the sole officer already assigned to the program.
VicPD Insp. Scott McGregor, who oversees the community services division, told All Points West host Jason D'Souza the collaboration has provided the ACT teams the ability to assist even the highest-needs clients whose behaviour is, at times, violent or threatening.
The police officers also offer criminal justice expertise for clients facing court proceedings and have the sole authority to apprehend people under the Mental Health Act, if they are a danger to themselves or others.
"I believe in the program, I see the positive effect it has on the clients, the patients," McGregor said.
"Police so often are perplexed, because we just aren't the right people to get these folks the care that they need," he said. "And the criminal justice system is not the place for these people. They need treatment and care.
"The health teams can't operate without police, and we certainly can not operate without the health care teams," he said.
As the pilot project reached the six-month mark this week, Victoria Police Chief Del Manak was pitching the department's proposed 2018 budget to Victoria city councillors, including $253,898 funding for the two additional plainclothes police on the ACT teams.
Manak said during the first six-months of the pilot project, the three ACT teams were able to substantially increase the number of clients they served. The number of service calls to police related to those clients declined 11 per cent. Emergency and acute health care usage also declined.
He said an initial independent study of the pilot project is forthcoming and the department is working with the University of Victoria psychology department on a larger study for 2018.
Because of the police support for clients with severe mental illness through the ACT teams, Manak said, "the housing providers have come to us and said 'we are now more willing to accept people who are volatile.'"