Officers with the Belleville Police Service want more of Project Impact.
Project Impact is now a two-person team of mental health and addictions counsellors that works directly with police when they’re responding to incidents involving people with mental health issues.
Police Chief Mike Callaghan says the statistics show that the Impact team is saving officers’ time and that without them the service provided would suffer.
“Calls for service would just exponentially increase, which is a greater demand, and while we’re on those calls we also have to be cognizant of the fact we have other 911 calls coming in for service so that would detract the officers’ ability to attend those other 911 calls.” said Callaghan
From April to June officers and Project Impact members responded to 171 incidents and with Impact’s expertise, 146 of those incidents were successfully resolved at the scene.
Belleville police will be asking that the Project Impact team be increased from two members to four.
