Repentigny | The police department is reviewing its methods of intervention in mental health

(Repentigny) Faced with an increase in calls to 9-1-1 related to mental health issues, the Repentigny Police Department is setting up a pilot project to offer support that is better suited to its population. A team of six social workers will be called upon to lend a hand to the police during the interventions.

Elise Fiola
The Press

“It was an area on which we had to innovate to find an approach that will have a real impact on the ground and with our citizens,” says Helen Dion, director of the Police Department of the City of Repentigny (SPVR). Estimating that 40% of the calls received by the emergency services of the city and the province concern people whose state of mental health is disturbed, Ms.^me Dion is delighted with the progress of the CIDD (Concertation, Intervention, De-escalation and Diversion) project.

By implementing this project, which should be fully operational next October in Repentigny and Charlemagne, the SPVR wishes to correct a shortcoming that is being felt among agents.

When a call related to a person’s state of mental health is received at the triage center, a team of responders will be sent to the scene if the scene does not present a risk, says Helen Dion. Depending on the cases they encounter, the workers will be able to develop their methods according to their expertise and experience. They will present themselves in civilian clothes and will be in communication with the patrol teams. They will be able to ask for support if a situation degenerates.

By removing the image of the police officer during interventions of this nature, the SPVR seeks to reassure the person who needs help while “de-stigmatizing” mental health problems. “Studies have shown that often just the uniform can disorganize a person,” says Helen Dion, who also underlines the impact that the police presence can have on the neighborhood.

“The police are excellent generalists,” she says. But I think that when we talk about mental health, we have to offer a more specialized and adapted service based on the problem identified by the intervention experts. »

Special help

M^me Dion also notes that other cities have also implemented initiatives that go in the same direction. “Interventions concerning people with a disturbed mental state have been increasing for several years. We have to adapt our response,” she said.

She believes that the CIDD project will also allow a better sharing of experiences. “Police officers and responders will be able to jointly develop better interventions by using all their expertise in order to provide citizens with better support,” she explains. For me^me Dion, it is by calling on the various resources and expertise available that it is possible to “see the problems from a 360 angle and intervene better”.

In collaboration with the Lanaudière Integrated Health and Social Services Center and the Ministry of Public Security, this project will also allow better follow-up with people who have experienced an episode where their mental health has been shaken, concludes Helen Dion.