Saanich police are seeking provincial support to establish a mental health unit, highlighting a critical service gap in the district's police force. This comes as a result of the dissolution of the Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team (IMCRT), a program that once paired officers with mental health nurses to respond to complex mental health calls. The Saanich Police Board Chair, Jim Cambridge, emphasized the increasing demand for appropriate mental health responses, leading to trained officers being tied up on these calls. This issue is not unique to Saanich; other police departments have also withdrawn from similar programs, citing under-serviced communities and a lack of resources. The dissolution of IMCRT has left a void in crisis response, with Saanich Police Chief Dean Duthie noting increased hospital wait times for officers. Island Health, however, faces challenges in providing dedicated staff and resources to each regional police department, citing budget constraints and the need to comply with privacy regulations. The Ministry of Health acknowledges the service gap and aims to increase in-person, face-to-face responses to crisis calls through program reconfiguration. This situation underscores the complex interplay between police, healthcare, and community needs, prompting discussions on the future of mental health response services in the region.
