The Ontario Provincial Police will soon have a new tool to help people experiencing a mental health crisis.
As part of the 2021 budget, the government is creating the Ontario Provincial Police Crisis Call Diversion Program.
“Our government is proud to take steps to enhance care for mental health and other acute crisis situations through the Crisis Call Diversion Program,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “By offering critical crisis response services, dedicated mental health and addictions specialists will ensure individuals experiencing a crisis can access immediate supports while diverting the need for police interventions in non-emergency situations.”
The program will put a professional mental health and addictions crisis worker into each OPP Provincial Communications Centre. The crisis worker will be assigned to calls as necessary and provide resources and tools to the caller to help them navigate the system and get the help they need.
The program was first piloted in the OPP Communications Centre in London. Since November 2020, the program has been helping people who call in with a variety of acute crisis situations including, mental health or substance use issues, and domestic incidents.
“Our officers respond to thousands of mental health calls a year,” said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique. “The Crisis Call Diversion Program not only reduces the use of police personnel for non-emergent responses when appropriate but also helps individuals experiencing mental health crises by offering better pathways to meet their needs and supporting the de-stigmatization of mental health.”
The government is spending $8.4 million over the next three years to implement similar positions in call centres throughout the province. The next position will be filled at the Thunder Bay Communications Centre.