The Police Project will develop comprehensive guidelines for police training and education programs across Canada with the aim of improving interactions between the police and individuals with a mental health problem or illness.

A summary of the project activities include:

• Surveys of existing police academy training have been completed:
  
  A Study of Police Academy Training and Education for New Police Officers Related to Working with People with Mental Illness.
  
  
• A report examining in-service training across the country and internationally has been completed:
  
  Police Interactions with Persons with a Mental Illness: Police Learning in the Environment of Contemporary Policing.
  
  
• An informational listserv for police officers has been developed.
  
  
• A study of consumer experiences with and attitudes toward the police in British Columbia has been completed, and will inform the development of the guidelines.

         NEW! A Study of How People with Mental Illness Perceive and Interact with the Police.

The study of consumer experiences was led by British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Services and partners included Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Mental Health Association - British Columbia.

Four main areas were examined:

• The circumstances under which people living with a mental illness come into contact with police.
  
  
• The factors that result in positive or negative perceptions by people living with a mental illness regarding interactions with police.
  
  
• Whether people with a mental illness have different attitudes towards the police than does the general population.
  
  
• How people living with mental illness think that perceptions of, and interactions with police can be improved.
  

The project involved focus groups of people in metro Vancouver living with a mental illness and who have also had direct contact with police.

In addition, individual interviews and surveys took place across British Columbia to gather more in-depth information from people living with mental illness; in particular their feelings, attitudes and beliefs about police.