A new mental health unit will soon be patrolling the West Shore as RCMP officers will be paired with clinicians to respond to situations in which people are experiencing a mental health crisis.
The unit will be comprised of four officers as well as several mental health clinicians from Island Health.
“The co-responding teams will bring police officers together with dedicated clinicians to assess individuals experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Inspector Stephen Rose, Officer in charge of Operations at West Shore RCMP.
Police say that under the Mental Health Act, the law requires a police officer to take an individual to a designated medical facility to see a doctor when they apprehend someone deemed to be in crisis.
West Shore RCMP say that these types of apprehensions are only made when an individual is thought to be a safety risk to themselves or those around them.
There has been a 39% increase over the past five years in mental health related calls, according to police. In 2018 officers responded to 1163 calls whereas in 2022, 1622 mental health related calls were attended.
As things have been, West Shore RCMP say police are ill-equipped to make judgment calls surrounding mental health crises.
Going forward, officers will be able to have a mental health professional with them when responding to these types of calls to advise them on the best course of action for the individual in crisis.
Police say this newly established unit will serve all West Shore communities.
