The Vice Chair of the Windsor Police Service Board is looking for the provincial and federal government to step in and aid with more mental health resources throughout the city.
During the board meeting on Thursday afternoon, councillor and Vice Chair Jo-Anne Gignac proposed a motion asking for more support from the government in terms of mental health.
This comes as there is no where, other than the hospital Emergency Department, for individuals in need of immediate mental assistance to go.
This also stems from the success so far with a pilot project that pairs nursing professionals from Windsor Regional Hospital with Windsor police officers, however the pair are forced to bring individuals to the ED if they need help.
The motion was approved by the board members.
Gignac says this is about helping those who need it.
"We're seeing the frustration of the municipal police force in terms of making sure that the issues that are identified when they do come in contact downtown with people who are either suffering from mental health issues or drug related issues can get the attention that they need."
She says there are provincially and federally funded mental health organization that exist with the City of Windsor.
"That could perhaps adjust their operation to be able to accommodate when we do as a police service run into individuals who need mental health treated and identified right away, we have some place to take these people."
Gignac says it's not a requirement for police to respond to a mental health issue unless there is breaking of the law.
"What we want is for all of our partners to come together, for us to say yes naturally when people see issues that are out of the ordinary, where is the first place they call? They call police, they don't call the mental health groups, they call police."
She adds that the Nurse-Police Team has been a great addition, with 127 interactions within the first five weeks of operation.
But stresses that in order to keep individuals from the Emergency Department, more local organizations need to be able to immediately assist.