CHILLIWACK, B.C. — British Columbia is spending $3 million to expand a program that partners health-care workers with policein mobile teams to respond to mental health-related calls.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Monday that the program aims to connect people in crisis to the appropriate services in their community, while taking pressure off stretched police resources.
Similar programs already exist in 10 B.C. communities including Kamloops, Victoria, Surrey and Vancouver. "If they do require treatment, it takes up a lot of time with the officer in getting them to the hospital and getting them processed through the system. If that can be left to the mental health worker, then the RCMP officer can get on with doing some other work that they're much needed at."
"And that's not necessarily the fault of the police. You can be the best police officer in the world but you can still have that impact on folks." "We know that there is so much more to do and these teams announced today are really just one part, one tool, of all of the work that we are doing to support people with mental health addictions in our communities, to make everyone feel safe and cared for in our communities," she said.
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