PACT actions connecting vulnerable with services

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on October 29, 2022.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Lethbridge Police Services Cst. Derek Williams and Mental Health therapist with AHS Sidney Wolfe speak about their accomplishments with PACT during police commission meeting Wednesday night at city hall.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

During the Lethbridge Police Commission meeting on Wednesday, LPS Cst. Derek Williamson presented a report on the Police and Crisis Team (PACT) and highlighted some of the benefits and next steps to take.

PACT is comprised of two teams of one LPS police officer and one Alberta Health Services mental health professional.

“Our mandate is to connect individuals to various housing and financial services when needed and provide consultation with various community agencies, AHS services, and police members for complex case planning and management,” said Williamson.

He said they also monitor individuals for a short period of time until they have connected with the appropriate services they require.

“We are finding that we are building positive type of relationships with various community agencies supporting programs within AHS,” said Williamson.

He said other accomplishments include assisting numerous individuals in connecting with services in line with the long term goals of their treatment, as well as diverting calls for emergency services for users to more appropriate resources.

Year to date, PACT teams have reviewed 307 occurrences, monitored 89 clients, attended as a primary agent to 228 calls, and during the month of July followed up with 67 clients, with 61 in August and with 55 in September.

“What we found with the comparable data from one team to two teams is that our numbers doubled or tripled, which is what you expect to see with the addition of a second team being able to take on more of the mental health calls and taking some of those away from front line patrol officers,” said Williamson.

He said this shows that the program seems to be working.

“Some of our next steps include improving on reporting practices to gather statistical data, continue collaboration and consultation with all partners and stakeholders to search for opportunities to develop new partnerships,” said Williamson.

He also mentioned PACT’s front line response needs to increase during crisis and staff needs to increase to address gaps in service and to respond in a more timely fashion.

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