Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

how to recognize common mental illnesses. 27 This guideline is meant to help police
services implement their obligations under section 29 of Reg. 3/99 under the Police
Services Act (“Adequacy and Effectiveness of Police Services”), which requires police
services boards to have a policy on the police response “to persons who are emotionally
disturbed or have a mental illness or a developmental disability.”The guideline also
assists police services in implementing their obligation under section 13(1)(g) of the
regulation, which requires Chiefs of Police to establish procedures in respect of the
aforementioned people. 28 The MCSCS also regulates the weapons that police officers in
Ontario can carry and deploy, including conducted energy weapons, discussed further in
Chapter 12 (Equipment).
39. Further, the MCSCS oversees the Ontario Police College, which conducts new
constable training for all police services in the province. As discussed in greater depth in
Chapter 7 (Training), at the Ontario Police College, new constables are given
introductory training on the subject of responding to people in crisis. The OPC, in
partnership with CAMH and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, developed a detailed
manual on policing people in crisis titled, “Not Just Another Call,” that emphasizes the
different issues at play and the skill set that is needed in order to manage this complex
area of police work. 29
40. Finally, the MCSCS is actively engaged in developing best practices in policing
people in crisis. In May 2012, the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, then Minister of
Community Safety and Correctional Services, announced that the Ministry would
undertake a review of “police interactions with persons with mental illness.” 30 This
review is ongoing. 31 The Ministry has completed the first phase of evidence gathering,
including current practices and legislation in Ontario, best practices from other
jurisdictions, and the past 25 years of recommendations from Coroner’s juries in
Ontario. MCSCS is currently pursuing stakeholder engagement on the issue. Any
recommendations for legislative or other changes are expected in spring 2015.
(b) Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
41. The issue of police interactions with people in crisis is not merely one of policing.
Its root causes cannot be addressed without tackling the need for more comprehensive
care for people with mental illness. Accordingly, Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-
27
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Policing Standards Manual (2000), LE-013 “Police Response to
Persons who are Emotionally Disturbed or have a Mental Illness or a Developmental Disability” (Toronto, ON: Ministry of the
Solicitor General, 2000).
28
Adequacy and Effectiveness of Police Services, O. Reg. 3/99, ss. 13(1)(g), 29.
29
Ontario Police Colleges, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health & St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Not Just Another
Call…Police Response to People with Mental Illnesses in Ontario (Sudbury, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Queen’s
Printer for Ontario and Regional Health Care, London, 2004), online: Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police .
30
Cary Mills, “Ontario to review how police respond to the mentally ill” The Globe and Mail (18 June 2012), online: The Globe and
Mail .
31
Public Safety Canada, “Review of Police Interaction with Persons with a Mental Illness (Details)” (5 March 2014), online: Public
Safety Canada .
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