Units & Teams

HELP Team

The HELP Team was established by the Chatham-Kent Police Service in 2001 as means to better serve the mentally ill in the community. It is a HELP Team goal to improve the outcomes of interactions between the mentally ill and the police.

The HELP Team consists of police officers, as well as some support staff, who receive extra training to deal with the mentally ill and who are partnered with local mental health agencies and support groups. The officers work regular patrol duties, but are available to handle calls for service involving the mentally ill.

The HELP Team concept is a “First-Responder model.” Select front-line officers are trained to be better able to respond 24/7 to calls where mentally ill persons are in crisis, such as when they are threatening to harm themselves or others. In this way we are able to best assist in their greatest time of need.

The success and benefits of the HELP Team was evidenced by a survey conducted by two of our primary partners, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Chatham-Kent Branch and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. Consumers, family members and mental health professionals indicated through that survey that the service to the mentally ill has been significantly enhanced by the HELP Team.

The growing interest in the HELP Team has resulted in a presentation at the National Conference on Police-Mental Health Liaison, and articles featuring the HELP Team in both the RCMP Gazette and the CMHA Network magazine.

The Chatham-Kent Police Service periodically offers a HELP Team training course that is open to police officers and mental health professionals from other agencies. For more information on the HELP Team or upcoming courses, contact: Inspector Clare Wiersma by email: clarew@chatham-kent.ca