Two local OPP detachments will get funding to expand Mobile Crisis Response Teams.
North Bay OPP Detachment gets $168,750 while Timiskaming OPP Detachment will receive $181,800. In addition, the Greater Sudbury Police Service will get $128,126.
It should increase their capacity to respond to calls from people experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis and will enable police services to add mental health and addictions crisis workers to existing Mobile Crisis Response Teams.
Back in 2021, a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) helped prevent what could have been a terrible tragedy in Sturgeon Falls.
Officers from the Nipissing West OPP were called to investigate a person throwing rocks at vehicles.
"When police arrived, the suspect ran from police and eventually onto the roof of a residence," said Constable Shona Camirand. "The suspect wanted police to shoot him."
The North Bay OPP MCRT heard the call and headed to assist.
"Once at the scene, the mental health nurse was able to speak to the male in crisis and convince him to come down off the roof. She sat with the subject to discuss available resources before he was ultimately apprehended by officers," added Camirand.
See: Mobile Crisis Response Team prevents 'suicide by cop' in Sturgeon
“Mobile Crisis Response Teams are best positioned to respond to people experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis and to de-escalate situations that could pose a risk to public safety,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “At a time when police are increasingly confronted with the need to assist vulnerable people in acute crisis situations, this new grant program will expand their ability to deliver appropriate services and underlines our government’s commitment to public safety.”
Mobile Crisis Response Teams consist of police officers and crisis workers working together to respond to complex situations where mental health or addictions may be a factor. Supported by the police, crisis workers determine whether an individual in crisis should be sent to an emergency department for treatment, and are equipped to provide connections to community programming and supports to address an individual’s physical and mental well-being over the longer term.
