Chatham-Kent’s police department is receiving a $2.6-million share of the $23.2 million earmarked by the province for Southwestern Ontario through the Community Safety and Policing Grant program.
Sgt. Doug Cowell, the head of the department’s community unit, said the $2,613,570 will allow for the addition of a third officer to his team while providing support to the mobile crisis mobilization team and funding for a new youth officer.
Cowell said a grant application was submitted in December. The grant money, he added, will be distributed over a three-year span.
“It’s what we already do, but we had to make the grant application to continue with it, so we can keep those programs going,” he said.
“Thankfully we were successful, so it’s a big help.”
Cowell said the community mobilization unit previously had two officers covering the north and south districts of Chatham-Kent, including Chatham proper. He said a third officer will be assigned to the central district – Chatham.
He said officers are involved with the Fast Intervention Risk Strategy Team strategy that works on resolving ongoing, repetitive social issue-type calls. These officers also work with community partners, which can include serving on committees that deal with socioeconomic issues such as homelessness.
Cowell said having an extra community mobilization officer means Const. Ed Rota of the mobile crisis team can be covered when he is on vacation.
“We can now cover our constable so the team is always up and running,” he said.
The mobile crisis team is a partnership with a crisis nurse from Chatham-Kent’s hospital group that responds or follows up weekdays on mental health-related incidents.
Cowell said some of these assessments can be completed in people’s homes, which puts less strain on hospital emergency rooms.
The police service also has a 52-member HELP Team with specialized training to assist people with mental-health struggles.
“Community safety is a top priority, and our government has been strengthening our justice system to protect communities and hold offenders accountable,” Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said in a media release.
“This investment is another way we are helping police services address local challenges and improve the well-being of the people they serve.”
Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, described the funding as an “investment” that will allow police departments across Southwestern Ontario to “expand critical supports and services” to help the “most vulnerable members” of the region’s communities.