The number of calls that the Burns Lake RCMP receives related to mental health occurrences has been increasing since January 2016.
During the first four months of 2017, these occurrences increased by 45 per cent compared to the first four months of 2016.
Staff sergeant Charlotte Peters with the Burns Lake RCMP says a lack of doctors at the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre after regular working hours has been adding an extra burden on the RCMP.
“What happens is that, when we deal with someone under the Mental Health act, we’re not technically arresting that person; we are apprehending them under the act by virtue of the fact that we believe that they are a danger to themselves or somebody else,” she explained.
“And then our role is to take them to a hospital, where they have to be assessed by a doctor, and then the doctor makes the decision whether or not they will be held in the hospital or whether they can be released and go back home,” she continued.
“The problems that we’re running into in Burns Lake is dealing with the hospital because a lot of these issues unfortunately don’t happen between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; they happen in the middle of the night, so the problem that we face when we go in there in the middle of the night is that we can’t get a doctor to come and assess them.”
“General they won’t come in until the morning, so what that does for us as a police force is that it takes a member off the street and puts them in the hospital, because once we have them apprehended, we can’t leave them there,” she added. “So that’s a real issue for us.”
Peters said she hopes the situation will improve now that Burns Lake has two additional doctors. However, she told Burns Lake council last week that the community needs to address this issue jointly.
“These really aren’t police issues, they are medical issues, so I think we’re gonna have to come up with some community solutions,” she told council.
According to Northern Health, the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre does have a physician on call 24/7 for “urgent or emergency care.” However, if a patient’s condition is assessed by nursing staff as “not urgent,” physician assessment may wait until the morning.
“Patients who are transported by the RCMP to the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre are assessed by emergency department nursing staff; depending on the acuity level of presentation, in other words, the condition they are assessed to be in, the physician may or may not attend at that time,” explained Eryn Collins, a spokesperson for Northern Health.
“Northern Health would welcome discussions with the RCMP to determine if there are mitigating steps that can be taken,” she added. “Such discussions would be done in consultation with our physician group in Burns Lake.”
According to an RCMP report, the increase in the number of mental health occurrences in the Burns Lake area has been driven mostly by individuals under the age of 18. In the first four months of 2016, two youths were the subject of a mental health complaint while in the first four months of 2017 there were seven.
“The community may benefit from exploring mental health service delivery options to youth,” states the RCMP report.
RCMP to address “hotspots” this summer
Staff sergeant Charlotte Peters said the Burns Lake RCMP will target specific areas of the town this summer.
“We have designated ‘hotspots’ throughout the village, and for the summer and going forward these hotspots will see targeted enforcement,” she said.
Spirit Square and Radley Beach will be some of these areas.
“I know some people are very frustrated sometimes when they set up their camper and all of a sudden there’s someone there that might be intoxicated,” said Peters. “So it’s not a very inviting situation.”
The parking lot around A&W and the area near the Grapevine Pub known as “the jungle” will also see more enforcement.
“I just want everybody to be confident that we recognize that people do have issues with this, and we’re dealing with it.”
Peters added that violent crime and property crime have both been decreasing in the Burns Lake area.
“I think we are being reasonably effective in those areas,” she said. “I think we’re in pretty good shape.”