“Mental health is very topical in the world of policing right now”. That from Saint John Police chief John Bates.
Calls involving people who are mentally ill are a large drain on police resources.
In a year end interview with our newsroom, Chief Bates says historically the police have been their own worst enemy adding they always put of their hand saying we’ll deal with that.
In the last several years with the proliferation of mental health issues and calls nationwide, Bates says they have learned the operative word in mental health is health so they need to be working with healthcare providers.
He says their officers respond to calls where someone is having a mental health crisis and they have to make a decison on the spot as police officers not as trained healthcare workers.
Bates says the officers are deciding if the person is a danger to themselves or others and that’s a turning point because if they are a danger then the police are legally obligated to take them into custody and help them seek treatment.
Saint John police officers can wait up to an hour for assistance from Mobile Mental health and Bates says that’s an hour where one or two officers who may not be justified by law to arrest that person are just waiting for someone to show up.
When officers can arrest someone, they often have to go to the hospital with them and more than one officer can spend several hours there.
Chief Bates says he thinks the Mental Health Act is pretty robust as it exists now so he wouldn’t suggest revisiting it adding the laws are very clear.
He says the bigger impact is resources saying everyone is under the gun in this area.
