Toronto police expands Mobile Crisis Intervention Team program
Posted May 5, 2014 2:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Toronto Police Service has announced an expansion of the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team program.
The expansion comes three months after a coroner’s inquest made more than 70 recommendations in the deaths of three emotionally disturbed people at the hands of Toronto police.
One of the recommendations was to expand the program, in which a police officer teams up with a mental health nurse.
Deputy Chief Mike Federico said one new team is being added to 32 and 33 divisions in the North York area.
“We are working with existing hospital partners — St. Joseph’s, St. Mike’s, Humber River and Scarborough General — to expand a territory of the existing teams, so that in 2014 we expect that all areas of the City of Toronto will be serviced by the mobile crisis teams,” Deputy Chief Federico said at a news conference on Monday.
“Essentially, from the border with Peel Region, to the border with Durham, and the border with York Region to the lake, everyone of our divisions will have access to a mobile crisis team.”
While it’s not a 24-hour operation, the deputy chief insists officers have crisis training and are capable of handling a mental health related call if the specialty team is not available.
A report by the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael’s Hospital found the partnership between police and mental health nurses are having a positive effect.
In 2011, Toronto police officers went sent to almost 20,000 calls related to a mental health crisis.
Click here to read the final program implementation evaluation report by the Toronto Mobile Crisis Intervention Team.
