In this visit to York Regional Police’s Community Services building, PolicingTV explores how the force is approaching mental health, prevention and community wellbeing in a more connected way. The team explains how community services brings together youth engagement, crime prevention, diversity and inclusion, and mental health support under one roof, with a strategy built around prevention, diversion and crisis response.
The video also highlights a new initiative called CIRCLE York, a mobile community safety and wellbeing project designed to take services directly to people who may not otherwise access them. With police, crisis workers and community partners working side by side, the aim is to reduce stigma, improve trust, provide earlier support and reduce demand on frontline officers by helping people before situations escalate.
Key takeaways
- York Regional Police places community services at the centre of its approach to safety and wellbeing.
- A major theme is that mental health work is built around prevention, diversion and crisis response.
- The force has a crisis worker in the communications bureau to help resolve some calls before officers attend.
- York says diversions from the frontline have risen sharply since launching that model in 2022.
- Mental health support teams pair officers with crisis workers to respond more effectively on the road.
- A new mobile project called CIRCLE York will bring support directly into communities across the region.
- The vehicle is designed to help people who may not otherwise access services or know how to navigate them.
- The wider goal is to build trust, reduce stigma and connect vulnerable people with the right support earlier.
Chapters
00:34 – Inside York’s Community Services building
00:58 – The three pillars of the mental health strategy
01:40 – Prevention through outreach and engagement
02:16 – How diversion is reducing frontline demand
03:02 – Crisis response on the road
04:01 – Introducing CIRCLE York
05:29 – Why a mobile model matters in York Region
06:18 – Privacy, pilots and community feedback
06:52 – Community services beyond mental health
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