The Ontario Provincial Police are taking mental health very seriously, especially when it comes to their personnel and members of the community.
A new Mental Health Strategy was unveiled on Wednesday containing a list of 15 actions to be implemented that better equip police officers and the community to deal with issues surrounding mental health.
Sergeant Peter Leon, provincial spokesperson for the OPP, says mental health issues like post traumatic stress can impact a police officer at any time.
"Post traumatic stress can impact a police officer whether active in their career, in retirement, it can impact them, it can impact their families and this strategy is an approach that will provide both active and retired members as well as their families opportunities to deal with these challenging times," says Leon.
Leon adds the new OPP province wide strategy will better help their officers serve their communities in which they live and work as well.
"You know, we need to be doing more for our members and this is something that this document reaches out, it encompasses our people and our communities," adds Leon.
One of the 15 key actions outlined in the strategy include additional mental health education and training for officers.