OPP and the Canadian Mental Health Association signing agreement in February 2020 to create a Mobile Crisis Response Team.
A team involving the OPP and the Canadian Mental Health Association is proving to be effective in the Rainy River District.
The Mobile Crisis Response Team sees an experienced crisis worker teaming up with an officer on mental health calls.
Constable Jim Davis says they’ve handled over 900 calls since formed.
” This program has worked very well in terms of assisting officers with ensuring that members that are in crisis are followed up with appropriately or that it assists in the de-escalation of crises,” says Davis.
Detachment Commander Inspector Nathan Schmidt also sees its value to the district.
“The Mobile Crisis Response Team has added a valuable tool for front line officers responding to members of the community in crisis. We recognize that there is a spectrum of issues that may cause mental health crisis, and we are taking every step to ensure public safety, the safety of the person in crisis and the safety of our officers,” says Schmidt.
Davis says the program is being expanded with a team setting up in Atikokan.
“We’ve seen the Fort Frances mobile crisis response team come to Atikokan and help with members of the public, and we’ve also seen them going out to the district. It’s really important. We’ve seen this capability, we understand that works, and now we’re expanding it,” says Davis.
A second crisis worker is also being hired in Fort Frances to work on a part-team basis.
