Close X
Monday, December 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Port Moody police get digital crisis tool for mental health, addiction calls

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Mar, 2024 04:46 PM
  • Port Moody police get digital crisis tool for mental health, addiction calls

Police officers in Port Moody, B.C., are about to start using a digital public safety system to de-escalate and navigate situations that involve mental health and addiction, Mike Farnworth, solicitor general and public safety minister, said Wednesday.

The digital risk screening tool called HealthIM aims to assist officers attending crisis calls by giving advice and guidance from health officials to better understand the behaviour of the person who prompted the call, while offering evidence-based information about mental health and addiction situations, he said at a news conference.

Farnworth said the digital tool, already in use by municipal police in Delta and the RCMP in Surrey and Prince George, will officially launch Thursday in Port Moody.

It is also currently being used by police in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, he said.

"It gives the police a better understanding in terms of what they are dealing with," said Farnworth. "The history of the individual. They're able to communicate ahead with the hospital they may have to attend to. This has been used in Ontario with great success, and other provinces are now using it."

A report from a special committee on reforming the Police Act, released in 2022, concluded that standards were needed when police respond to mental health crises or conduct wellness checks. 

He said departments already using the tool in B.C. are "finding it very effective, and I think that's the appropriate way to go. When people in distress reach out for help, we need to take the right steps."

The province will provide $2 million to the B.C. Association of the Chiefs of Police to help implement the digital tool program, which is expected to be in use by police departments across the province by the end of next year, Farnworth said.

Public Safety Ministry data say the HealthIM system has contributed to a decrease in apprehensions by 46 per cent, hospital wait times are down by 39 per cent, and there has been an increase in hospital admission rates of 37 per cent where it's being used. 

Port Moody Chief Const. David Fleugel said the digital tool will help his officers provide better outcomes for people who come into contact with police.

"This tool represents a critical bridge between law enforcement and mental health support," he said.

MORE National ARTICLES

BOC holds key interest rate at 5%

BOC holds key interest rate at 5%
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says we've come a long way in our fight against high inflation but it's still too soon to start lowering interest rates. The central bank has done as expected and kept its key interest rate steady at five per cent.

BOC holds key interest rate at 5%

'I'm too far away': Five Canadians dead in plane that crashed near downtown Nashville

'I'm too far away': Five Canadians dead in plane that crashed near downtown Nashville
The pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed near downtown Nashville told air traffic controllers he could see the runway they were clearing for an emergency landing. But he said he couldn’t reach it. The pilot had another adult and three children on board, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Aaron McCarter said at a Tuesday news conference. He said the five were Canadian citizens and the agency is working with the Canadian government to determine their identities. 

'I'm too far away': Five Canadians dead in plane that crashed near downtown Nashville

Re-arrest for Vancouver sex offender

Re-arrest for Vancouver sex offender
Vancouver police say a high-risk sex offender who was serving a five-year long-term supervision order was rearrested last week. Police had issued a public warning on February 26th that Skylar Wayne Pelletier had been released from custody and was living in Vancouver. The 24-year-old was previously convicted of sexual assault, assault, and break and enter.

Re-arrest for Vancouver sex offender

Grandparent scam in Kelowna

Grandparent scam in Kelowna
Kelowna RCMP say they are looking for a woman who's involved in a recent scam targeting the elderly. Police say the suspect reportedly took money from an elderly woman after someone pretending to be an officer called the victim about her grandson being arrested and needing to pay a bond.

Grandparent scam in Kelowna

B.C.'s securities watchdog fined rule breakers $430M. Why can't it make them pay?

B.C.'s securities watchdog fined rule breakers $430M. Why can't it make them pay?
Thalbinder Singh Poonian and Shailu Poonian claim they'll be in debt to the commission "likely for life," owing about $19 million after being found to have engaged in market manipulation of a company's stock in 2015. The commission ruled the couple boosted the price of OSE Corp. on the Toronto Stock Exchange by trading among themselves, relatives, friends and acquaintances, then sold the shares at the inflated prices to unsuspecting buyers.

B.C.'s securities watchdog fined rule breakers $430M. Why can't it make them pay?

State funeral for former prime minister Mulroney to be held in Montreal March 23

State funeral for former prime minister Mulroney to be held in Montreal March 23
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held on March 23 in Montreal. Mulroney died Feb. 29 at a Florida hospital following a recent fall at his Palm Beach home. He was 84. Parliamentarians are expected to pay tribute to Canada's 18th prime minister in the House of Commons when MPs return to Ottawa on March 18 after a two-week break.

State funeral for former prime minister Mulroney to be held in Montreal March 23

PrevNext