KAWARTHA LAKES-The Kawartha Lakes Police Service is bringing in a new, innovative, digital approach to help those who are experiencing mental health issues.
The Health IM program is specifically designed for use in law enforcement environments. It allows officers to screen an individuals risk of harm to self, harm to others and failure to care for self, in keeping with the Mental Health Act. An officer who is interacting with a member of the community in crisis can input data into the screening program through their mobile data terminal in the officers cruiser. The program provides the officer with an evaluation of risk in the three noted areas and will help an officer assess the individual’s needs.
“It’s important because a large part of the good work our officers do each day relates in some way to mental health. Having a tool that helps an officer make better, informed decisions to help our community members will benefit everybody.” Sergeant Dave Murtha told Kawartha 411.
The officer inputs responses from the individual, caretakers, bystanders as well as their own observations. The system calculates the risk an individual may pose to themselves or others. Officers use these criteria to support their on-scene decision. “If an officer determines it is necessary to take the person in crisis to hospital, the program shares the information obtained by the officer with mental health / medical professionals at Ross Memorial Hospital directly.” Murtha says.
According to Statistics Canada approximately one in five contacts with police involved someone with a mental or substance use disorder in 2012 and one in three Canadians with a disorder reported having contact with police. During the 2017 calendar year, the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service attended 413 calls for service that were categorized as being mental health related.
Murtha thinks that number is actually much higher. “I believe this because an officer may attend a call for service that has some underlying mental health issues, but has been categorized as something else. For example, the police service may receive a “traffic complaint” because someone is walking in the middle of the road and is interfering with traffic. When officers arrive and speak with the pedestrian they may discover that the person is acting in such a way because of an underlying mental health issue. This incident could be classified by the attending officer either way, (as a traffic complaint or mental health) and may not be captured by the statistics for mental health related calls for service.”
According to Murtha some of the interactions police have with residents aren’t captured in the statistics at all. “When I worked in uniform as a platoon sergeant, it was not uncommon for a number of local residents to stop into the station because they simply wanted to “chat.” Murtha recalls. “On a regular basis I would spend five minutes to an hour sitting in the lobby, or a park bench in front of the station speaking with someone about their personal situation, concerns they had, etc. In many cases there were underling mental health issues that led the person to attend the station and speak with me or another officer.”
The manufacturer says police services that use the program have experienced 46% fewer apprehensions and reduced wait times at hospital.
The Brantford Police Service helped develop the program and has been using it since last April. “HealthIM is the thread that holds all the pieces of our mental health strategy together.” says Chief Geoffrey Nelson, Chief of Police, Brantford Police Service
