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Peel Regional Police launches Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team

On Jan. 13, 2020, Peel Regional Police, in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – Peel Dufferin, launched a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT) program. This program, as seen in neighbouring policing jurisdictions, is an “effective way to deal with the ever-increasing calls for service involving those persons suffering from mental health challenges or in an addictions related crisis,” the service announced.

The program has a crisis worker (registered nurse, registered social worker or occupational therapist) teamed up with a specially trained police officer to respond to situations involving individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

This crisis worker will be wearing clearly distinguishable body armour and will be attending frontline priority calls for service. A primary goal of the MCRRT program is to provide an on-site assessment of the client, referring that person when appropriate to community-based services rather than transporting them to an emergency department.

Other police services throughout Ontario have seen significant reductions in the number of Mental Health Act apprehensions once MCRRT was implemented, Peel said.

The MCRRT program will see two cars per day, 365 days a year, operating from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight.