Chatham-Kent police say social disorder and homelessness continue to be challenging for officers and the community.
An annual police report showed neighbour disputes, noise complaints, landlord/tenant matters, and homelessness continue to "dominate" the work that officers in the Community Mobilization Section (CMS) do.
According to police, officers try to mediate and resolve issues before they turn into criminal matters, adding it's difficult because people are not willing to cooperate very often.
"This continues to be challenging, as involved parties must be willing to work together," said police. "The importance of established strong and trusted relationships with community partners is necessary to make referrals to proper agencies and get people connected to services that can serve them."
They point to CK Legal Clinic, for example, as a community partner that can help with landlord/tenant issues and highlight a Canadian Human Rights report saying the punitive approach towards encampments is "failing".
Police said officers in the unit pinpointed homeless encampment areas last year to provide contacts, services, and deal with any criminal matters. They even had to dismantle an encampment on private property.
The specialized HELP Team and Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) also handled 1,180 mental health incidents reported to police in 2022. The teams provide psychiatric assessments for individuals at the scene freeing up front line officers.
The MCT arrested 53 people under the Mental Health Act last year and conducted 104 mental health assessments, saving front line officers 171 hours of waiting for assessments at the hospital emergency department.
The unit also had to enforce 19 orders issued by psychiatrists, doctors, or judges to either commit a person to a psychiatric institution or undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine if they need to be admitted to a psychiatric facility.
