A program in Ontario, that puts mental health workers on the front lines with peace officers is making a huge difference for both the police and society’s most vulnerable.

The Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team puts a crisis worker or mental health nurse in the car with officers so they can deal with mental health cases as they occur.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, Kingston Police Department Constable Aaron Crawford said the more resources for those with mental health issues, the better for everybody. “We’re hoping that those multiple points of contact, whether it be through them going to a facility or an office building that’s involved in mental health or us speaking with them or us arresting them and then getting those resources, I think the more points of exposure to those resources the better.”

The Constable spoke of the value of having a mental health expert with police on the front line. “So those people have access to resources involving curbing addiction and hopefully able to reach out and give those people some resources in order to maybe get them back on the right track.”

Crawford said the program not only frees up valuable time for officers, it’s getting front line help to those that need it the most and they’re getting it faster. “After I book them into cells, it’s not uncommon for a mental health worker to speak to that person after they’ve been booked in and be given resources so when they’re either out in a few hours or released the next morning on bail, they have those resources right in their hand, right in their property when they get out of cells.”

There’s no word if the innovative program will make it this far west.