Saskatoon police partner with mobile crisis workers for mental health calls

Saskatoon Police Service headquarters is pictured in this file photo. (Chad Hills/CTV Saskatoon)

Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is offering an alternative to a police response to calls relating to mental health.

Deputy Chief Mitch Yuzdepski said in a news release that there are a limited amount of 24/7 support services in the community and when services are not available, the default agency is almost always the police.

“Based on the available research both locally and nationally, the pervasiveness of mental health embedded in many police calls for service is grossly underestimated. Despite this, the will of the Saskatoon Police Service for positive change has never been stronger."

When a caller contacts SPS Communications to report a situation of a personal crisis that may require mental health or suicide intervention, SPS call-takers may transfer the call to Saskatoon Mobile Crisis.

The move is in partnership with the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service.

In each case the SPS call-taker must confirm several factors before transferring the call:

• Confirming there is no presence of weapons or any actions which may endanger the caller or members of the public
• The caller is not reporting self-harm or harm to others
• No criminal act has been implied or committed
• The situation does not include indications of domestic/intimate partner dispute
• There is no immediate need for medical attention

The SPS call taker will require permission from the caller before they are able to transfer the call. If refused, the call will be processed by police.

“This focus on mental health and matching service to need builds on the strength of our collaborative working relationship that has been effective for many decades," Rita Field, executive director of the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service, said of their partnership with police.

The Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service - Mobile Crisis Service is a nonprofit community-based organization that responds to crisis calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Mobile crisis workers can respond on the phone, in the community or in the office to the full range of crisis situations including mental health, suicide prevention and families in distress.

The transfer protocol began earlier this month and will remain in effect indefinitely, police say.