Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

policing as compared to the data reporting associated with specialized crisis
intervention units. 2
5. Training regarding mental health and crisis situations is closely related to other
areas of training. Use of force training, communications tactics and education about
available police, health care, and community resources must also embrace the goal of
assisting people in crisis without force whenever possible. The training requirements are
complex and demanding. Police must be trained not only in techniques for calming a
situation or negotiating with someone in crisis, but also in the areas of recognizing crisis
symptoms, assessing the physical and mental capabilities of the subject, anticipating
unexpected responses to routine commands or actions, exercising discretion in
decisions to apprehend, arrest or divert an individual, and combatting the effects of
stigma on their decision-making. 3
6. Academic literature highlights the importance of employing police trainers who
have both expertise and credibility, of integrating mental health professionals and
people with lived experience of mental illness into the curriculum, of addressing
cognitive obstacles like stigma and bias, and of tailoring training to meet the needs of
particular cohorts and communities. 4 The TPS seeks to incorporate many, if not all, of
these critical factors into the recruit and in-service training delivered at the Toronto
Police College (TPC). The challenge for the Service is to ensure that its lessons resonate
with officers and become ingrained in their day-to-day interactions and decision
making.
B. Legislative framework
7. The Police Services Act sets minimum training standards for Ontario police
officers. Under the Act, the Solicitor General must monitor municipal police services like
the TPS to ensure adequate police services are provided to the community and ensure
police services boards comply with the provincially prescribed standards. The Solicitor
General is also charged with developing and promoting programs to enhance
professional police practices, standards, and training. 5
8. The Act empowers the Ontario government to make regulations prescribing
standards and courses for members of police services. 6 Officers have a statutory duty to
complete the prescribed training, which includes passing the Basic Constable Training
Program at the Ontario Police College (OPC) within six months of being appointed. 7
However, lateral recruits who have completed an equivalent initial training and
2
Id. at 7, 35.
3
Id. at 43-45.
4
Id. at 8.
5
Police Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.15, s. 3(2) [PSA].
6
Id., s. 135(1).
7
Id., s. 42(1).
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