New provincial funding will allow local police officers to better address the challenges associated with mental health and addiction, according to Chatham-Kent’s police chief.
The Ontario government recently announced that the Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) will receive $2.6 million over three years through Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Grant Program.
Police Chief Gary Conn said the funding will create opportunities for new positions and further training for officers within Chatham-Kent, to better understand and address incidents involving mental illness.
“We know that our calls for service from the vulnerable and most marginalized in our community are those suffering from some form or fashion of cognitive illness,” said Conn. “I’m very pleased with the additional funding because, obviously, these additional funds will assist us in addressing local challenges and improve the wellbeing of the people we ultimately serve; the people of Chatham-Kent.”
A portion of the funding will be used to enhance the Mobile Crisis Team by adding an additional officer. Currently, the team has one frontline officer with specific training for responding to calls involving individuals with mental health issues. That officer is also partnered with a psychiatric crisis nurse.
Since its inception in 2006, Mobile Crisis Team has seen a 300 per cent increase in the number of service calls.
Conn said in the future, he would like to see the team expanded to three officers to enable 24-hour a day, seven-day per week coverage within the municipality.
The CKPS also plans to use the provincial funding to create an equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator and add an additional youth officer. A third officer will also be added to the Community Mobilization team, who will liaison with the team’s civilian members to improve the health and safety of the citizens in Chatham-Kent.
In addition, the new funding will support the police service’s HELP Team, which is comprised of officers who are specially trained to deal with the mentally ill and work with local mental health agencies and support groups.
There are currently 60 CKPS members trained for the HELP Team, but the additional funding will allow for an additional 25 officers to receive training each year over the next three years.
“So basically all of our frontline officers on all of four platoons will have some HELP Team training,” said Conn. “That is a great asset to have for our police service.”
While addressing mental health and addiction issues within the municipality, Conn said it’s important to focus inward as well.
Another portion of the provincial funding will be used to provide a seminar and presentation for CKPS members and their families on officer wellbeing. Conn said the presentation will touch upon subjects such as operational stress injuries and occupational burnout.
“This presentation will be one component in a multifaceted employee wellness strategy, designed to provide our officers and their families with all of the necessary and available resources to maintain their cognitive wellbeing,” he said.
Funding for the CKPS is part of a $23.2 million investment from the province for police forces across southwestern Ontario. The money will be allocated over a three-year period, ending in 2025.
