Waterloo Regional Police last week announced the implementation of a new Crisis Call Diversion Program (CCD).
In partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW), the program will aim to connect community members experiencing a mental health crisis with appropriate resources and support, police said in a release.
The CCD program will see a mental health professional – an Integrated Mobile Police and Crisis Team (IMPACT) member – physically embedded into the WRPS communications centre with the goal of diverting appropriate mental health related calls away from a traditional dispatched police response.
Once assigned a call, an IMPACT professional will assist individuals experiencing a mental health crisis by providing tools, resources, and referrals to community agencies, or by assisting them with navigating the mental health care system.
“We are very excited for the launch of the Crisis Call Diversion Program and see this as an enhancement to the way we respond to people in crisis in our community. People who are experiencing a mental health crisis often require a clinical intervention that does not involve police. Diverting calls (when appropriate) from the police, similar to diverting calls from local emergency rooms, is a step in the right direction. This exemplifies the collective commitment in our system, to ensure people get the care they need, when they need it, as well as optimal service delivery,” said Jeffrey Stanlick, director of services for the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington.
On average, WRPS officers respond to nearly 2,400 mental health related calls each year.
“We are proud to further build our partnership with our colleagues at the Canadian Mental Health Association. Having mental health professionals available to respond to callers in crisis not only ensures they get the most appropriate care when they need it, it also helps prioritize policing resources for the most serious and emergent situations,” said acting Chief John Goodman of the Waterloo Regional Police Service.
The CCD program is funded by the Community Safety and Policing Grant and has launched as a three-year pilot program.
OCTOBER 28
1:07 PM | Emergency services responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision on Arthur Street South in Woolwich Township. The driver of the vehicle veered to the left, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and strike a tree. The investigation determined the cause was a medical event. No charges were laid.
OCTOBER 29
3:45 PM | Officers with the Wellington County OPP conducting a Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program on Fifth Line, Centre Wellington spoke to the driver of a red pickup truck. As a result of the investigation, a 30-year-old of Guelph/Eramosa man was charged with ‘operation while impaired – 80 plus (blood alcohol concentration).’ The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice – Guelph at a later date.
10:30 PM | An officer with the Wellington County OPP stopped a silver sedan on Highway 6, Mapleton Township, after it was observed traveling well above the posted speed limit. A 51-year-old of Guelph man was charged with ‘operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs,’ as well as with ‘speeding’ and ‘driving while under suspension.’ The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice – Guelph at a later date.
OCTOBER 31
12:30 AM | Wellington County OPP responded to a report of a collision involving a single vehicle on Highway 7 west of Guelph. A 32-year-old Guelph man was charged with ‘operation while impaired – 80 plus (blood alcohol concentration).’ The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice – Guelph at a later date.
9:40 AM | Waterloo Regional Police arrested a suspect in Woolwich Township in connection with a weapons incident Oct. 8 in Kitchener, where a man brandished a knife towards two employees while inside a business and made threats towards them. A 31-year-old Kitchener man was charged with ‘assault with a weapon’ (two counts), ‘uttering threats to cause death’ (two counts) and ‘possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.’ He was held in police custody for a bail hearing.
9:59 PM | Police received a report of a collision on King Street North in Woolwich Township. Upon arrival, officers located a damaged box truck, determining that the driver of the truck was attempted a turn when they struck a garage in the area. The driver was not at the scene, but has since been identified. The investigation is ongoing.
NOVEMBER 3
12:04 PM | Police received a report of property damage in Elmira. Sometime between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Nov. 1, an unknown suspect(s) damaged a public bathroom located in a township-owned building on Barnswallow Drive. The suspect(s) threw garbage cans from outside the building into the bathrooms, smashed soap dispensers and filled the toilets with garbage. Anyone with information is asked to call Police or Crime Stoppers.
3:42 PM | Perth County OPP, the Perth County Paramedic Services and Perth East Fire Department responded to a collision on Perth Line 26 in the Township of Perth East. The investigation indicated that one of the drivers was passing multiple vehicles that were backed up in traffic when it collided head-on with another vehicle. One person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. A 32-year-old resident of Waterloo was charged with ‘pass – roadway not clear – approaching traffic’ and issued a provincial offence notice.
NOVEMBER 4
8:16 AM | Police responded to a report of a theft from a motor vehicle in Breslau. Sometime between 9 p.m. on Nov. 3 and the time of the report, an unknown suspect(s) stole property from an unlocked vehicle parked in a driveway on Trowbridge Street. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.
8:53 PM | Police received another report of a theft from a vehicle in Breslau. At approximately 1:30 a.m. that morning, four unknown suspects stole property from vehicle parked in a driveway on Woolwich Street South. Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.
NOVEMBER 6
9:26 AM | Police received the first of three reports of thefts from a motor vehicles in Maryhill. At approximately 12 a.m., an unknown suspect(s) stole property from unlocked vehicles parked in driveways on Isley Drive. Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.
NOVEMBER 7
10:20 AM | Waterloo Regional Police are investigation a fatal collision on a property in the area of Sandy Hills Drive and Arthur Street North in Woolwich Township. The initial investigation determined that the driver of a tractor was reversing and struck a young child, who was transported to an out-of-region hospital where she was pronounced deceased. The driver of the tractor, a 41-year-old male, was uninjured. The investigation is ongoing by members of our Traffic Services Unit. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
1:09 PM | Waterloo Regional Police were contacted regarding the theft of several catalytic converters from a business on Fountain Street North in Breslau. Sometime prior to the time of the report, an unknown suspect(s) gained access to the fenced compound of the business and stole four catalytic converters from vehicles. Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.
