The Police and Crisis Team (PACT) is a partnership between the Moose Jaw Police Service and the Saskatchewan Health Authority. PACT intervention is aimed to help create a better outcome for individuals and families struggling with mental illness.
The Moose Jaw Police Service acknowledges the need for enhanced involvement with community groups and agencies to better assist people suffering from mental illness, substance abuse and housing insecurities. Our PACT units pair a police officer with a mental health professional (Social Worker) to help direct individuals with mental health issues to appropriate services. We serve individuals who are experiencing mental illness and or addiction issues and provide real-time response to real-time crisis. The team shares resources and information, thereby improving public and personal safety through collaborative and effective crisis intervention.
Additional benefits of the partnership include a reduced number of arrests for disturbances, a decrease in the number of emergency-room visits, stabilization of recipients in the community, and successful crisis resolution by triaging services to appropriate agencies.
Finally, follow-ups are often conducted to ensure the client is no longer experiencing a mental health crisis. The Moose Jaw Police Service currently has two full time teams providing seven day a week coverage for the City of Moose Jaw.