New research on police involvement in a decades-old mental health program has found it’s having a positive impact on those it’s supposed to help.
University of Victoria (UVic) psychology professor Dr. Catherine Costigan, the study’s co-author, said having police in “Assertive Community Treatment” (ACT) teams is very effective.
She described the program as a holistic approach, which helps people living with mental illness and substance abuse problems lead stable lives without having to go in and out of the hospital.
“It’s very powerful to have this positive, respectful relationship with a police officer who’s playing a consistent and caring present role in a client’s life, which is perhaps unlike other experiences they’ve had before”
The program itself was rolled out in cities across Canada in the 1990s.
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In a news release UVIC said ACT clients are extremely vulnerable people, who suffer from severe psychosis and substance abuse issues and typically receive mental health assistance from hospital emergency rooms.
It goes on to say the number of those visits drop when an ACT team is able to provide help.
The program has since been implemented in the United States, Australia and England — but the integration of police officers into the program isn’t very common.
Costigan said ACT clients struggling with their mental health are accessing more services because of the trust they’ve built with police.
“So when the clients are seeking services downtown, that they feel more comfortable going into the downtown area and accessing these services. Because they have these relationships with these clients, we heard quite a few stories when ACT clients were comfortable and felt safe to reach out to ACT officers to report their own experiences of victimization.”
Victoria’s four ACT teams serve almost 300 clients, with everything from crisis support to regular check-ups.
- With files from Beth Mariam
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