Trent University Forensic Science

In 2010 there was a spike in the calls that the Peterborough Police Service (PPS) received and classified as mental health related. There has not been a significant decline in mental health calls since this rise in 2010. To understand why there was an increase in calls, this project investigated how the PPS currently classify the calls they receive and changes that may have occurred in the system for classification around 2010. Fact-finding meetings were set up by the host agency (PPS) to answer these internal questions. Online literature reviews were done and fact finding meetings with mental health service providers were requested via email. This was to determine whether mental health issues increased in 2010, whether other services knew of changes in the Peterborough community around 2010, whether similar increases in demand were experienced by the Peterborough mental health services, and whether there was a change, reduction or disappearance of services provided prior to 2010.

The purpose of this project was to determine best practices in the development of a host- home program and other respite care programs for youth ages 14-24 in Peterborough, Ontario. The project is being completed for A Way Home Peterborough (AWHP), a local organization striving to end youth homelessness in the Peterborough area by 25% by 2021.

The purpose of this project is to explore if there was a significant increase in the number of mental health calls received by Police Services in Ontario outside of Peterborough since 2010 and if the number of mental health calls have remained at an elevated level since 2010. A literature review was conducted to gather information on mental health calls, legislation, the political landscape from 2010 to present, police officer training, and programs targeted to minimize the amount of mental health calls received by Police Services across Ontario. Data on the number of mental health calls received by Police Services was collected from Police annual reports and compared. Fact finding meetings were also completed with members from the Peterborough Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police to gain a procedural understanding of the dispatch system.