Saint John police see major increase in mental health related calls

SAINT JOHN – Saint John Police are dealing with an increase in mental health-related calls and advocates say it demonstrates a need for more resources.

Officers spend an average of four to six hours each shift responding to calls involving people who suffer from mental illness, said Sgt. Lori Magee.

The police force have recorded a 331 per cent increase in mental health related calls since 2001, she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: The police force have recorded a 331 per cent increase in mental health related calls since 2001, she said.

“Last week on one of our day shifts we had four to five mental health calls within three to four hours,” she said. “There is a significant increase in terms of man hours spent at the hospital with the clients that we take to the Regional that require follow-up assessment for mental health issues.”

Police say the province needs to put more money into mental health support services because too much of the onus is falling on front-line officers.

“The last three years the police have generated over 700 files per year, that’s over 2,000 in total in referencing mental health.”

Even more since the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope closed its doors in June of this year. The special care home provided lodging and support for many people with mental illness in Saint John, but the aging centre became too expensive to maintain.

Salvation Army’s Major Danny Pinksen said their drop-in centre is trying to pick up the slack.

“Many of the residents that come here and use our services have a very difficult time navigating the system and knowing where to go to get the supports that they need,” he said.