VicPD and Island Health launch Co-Response Team

Another tool for emergency service providers will help people feel safer downtown.
 
The Victoria Police Department and Island Health are working together to create a new team to help people in distress. The Co-Response Team will consist of a mental health professional and a police officer who will be available from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week.
 
“These services provide rapid interventions, connect people with services and aim to reduce a person’s involvement with emergency health services, the criminal justice system and law enforcement,” Island Health Board Chair Leah Hollins said.
 
The Chamber is a vocal advocate for safe communities, and we support efforts to address the root cause of these issues — mental health and addiction — that make people feel unsafe.