"In a year-end interview with CBC Toronto, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw suggested it's time to take a deeper look at mobile crisis intervention teams (MCITs). "I'm proposing that if mental health is a health issue, then mental health calls should be led by the health sector and the police should be there to the extent that it's necessary for safety," he said."
"The MCIT program was established in 2000 with a mandate that includes providing quality service to people experiencing mental health crises, making immediate mental health assessments, and providing secondary responses like follow-ups and referrals to appropriate mental health agencies. A recently as 2021, the force was pushing to expand the program, as some advocates pointed to a growing need for resources so that mental health calls wouldn't end in tragedy."
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw called for a reassessment of the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team model and suggested mental health calls be led by the health sector with police present only for safety. The MCIT pairs a police officer with a mental health nurse and was established in 2000 to provide assessments, follow-ups and referrals for people in crisis. The program operated in 16 divisions and faced calls for expansion as of 2021 amid concerns about fatal outcomes on some police mental health calls. The service plans to review MCIT and consider non-police crisis response alternatives.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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