Summary
“Over the past five years, the VPD has publicly reported on the dramatic increase in the incidence of police interactions with persons living with mental illness (see Appendix – A). There has also been a number of high-profile incidences of violent crime associated with an apparent mental health factor, highlighting gaps in the continuum of care and in the system generally. That is not to say that mental illness is a causal factor in violent crime. Rather, persons living with mental illness are more likely to be a victim of crime, rather than the perpetrator. These drivers have led to the VPD enhancing its service delivery and actively participating in broader multi-disciplinary teams, with health care providers, to deliver proper community-based mental health support for those in need. While these initiatives have all proven valuable in terms of client needs and reduced police interaction, and can each be supported as effective through evidence-based research, a broader Mental Health Strategy will serve as an overarching approach for the VPD. It is intended to account for the significant impact that can result from persons living with mental illness coming into contact with the police, and set forth a framework on how the VPD models its interaction with this segment of the population. In addition, it is important to acknowledge that most mental-health-related calls to the police involve persons with concurrent disorders – a mental illness and substance abuse problems.”—Page 5.