| Description: |
It is estimated that the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) responds to more than 33,000 service calls per year (about 100 calls per day) regarding individuals dealing with a serious mental health or crisis situation. To better equip SPVM frontline officers to respond to these calls, the police service has been providing innovative training to patrol officers on a voluntary basis since late 2013. After specialized five-day training, the officers are designated as Crisis Intervention Response ("Réponse en Intervention de Crise" or "RIC" in French) patrol officers. In addition to their usual duties, RIC patrol officers respond to emergency calls involving individuals who are in a serious or intense crisis. These trained officers are better able to evaluate the situation, assess the personalities of those involved and react effectively to resolve the situation quickly, always favouring communication.
Once training and deployment is complete, the SPVM expects to have one RIC officer per work team in all patrol units, with approximately 200 SPVM patrol officers who have received RIC training. This will ensure the availability of these RIC patrol officers 24/7 across the region. |
| Objective: |
The main objective of the initiative is to improve the organization's capacity to resolve crisis situations quickly during emergency calls involving individuals dealing with mental health issues. The secondary objectives are to support and advise other police officers in terms of best practices in this area and to reduce injuries associated with these interventions. |
| Outcomes: |
As this is a very recent initiative, data on outcomes is not yet available. However, evaluations of similar projects in other police services indicate improved recognition of the problems facing mentally unstable individuals, better situational evaluations, better identification of institutional supports and contacts for the involved individuals, and intervention resolutions that are better adapted to circumstances. |
| Resources: |
The project's costs are related to the design and delivery of training for RIC patrol officers and the armband worn on the uniform as a distinctive marking. |
| Pillars: |
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| Province: |
Quebec |
| Keywords: |
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| Record Entry Date: |
2015-03-01 |