Brandon police partner with mental health clinicians to transform crisis response

Brandon police responding to sensitive mental health emergencies now have a new partner on the ground — professional mental health clinicians. 

They’re part of a new crisis response unit designed to change how those calls are handled and reduce the risk of escalation.

Const. Amanda Griffith-Conway was one of the first to sign up for the unit. She will be one of two officers working alongside three full-time clinicians from Prairie Mountain Health, responding together to mental health crises.

“It was time for something like this in Brandon.… We’re going to see it flourish and become an ongoing service,” Griffith-Conway said. “It’s going to be very effective in dealing with some of the types of calls that are not really set out for patrol-based responses.”

The unit officially launched in September 2025, with its first month dedicated to training, policy development and learning from a similar Winnipeg police program, says Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates. 

The team will operate seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., year-round. He said any call involving a mental health component is directed to the new unit.

Its first operational shift was Oct. 20, 2025. Since then, the unit has been deployed to 116 calls.

Building a safer community

Each time it helps with a crisis, the unit is building a safer community for everyone, Bates said. 

“There have been many police interactions that have taken place over the years … where persons in mental health crisis have not received the support that was required,” he said. “Some of those situations have not gone very well and tragically ended.”

By offering compassionate care to the city’s most vulnerable during a crisis, the new unit aims to prevent these devastating outcomes, he said. 

A core part of their mission is relationship-building — many of the people the unit engages with are repeat clients, he said. By providing consistent, daily support, the team builds trust long before a Mental Health Act crisis occurs.

That means when a crisis happens, the unit already has a relationship and trust in place so that person and knows members are there to help, Bates said. 

That continuity stands in stark contrast to traditional patrol responses, where individuals might encounter a different officer every time, he said.

Repeat, trust-based interactions can help guide people toward the mental health support they need, often de-escalating situations simply through familiarity, he said. 

The unit is part of a larger conversation in Brandon about enhancing safety and well-being, especially for those facing overlapping challenges like addiction or homelessness, Bates said.

“We’re able to come alongside people that are struggling before they have interactions with police officers because of a tactical situation … or a public safety issue that arises,” he said.

“We’re able to avert those kinds of situations by having a health professional along with their sworn officer engage in … supportive care.”

‘Mental health first aid’: advocate

The province is providing over $290,000 in annual, ongoing funding to Prairie Mountain Health to support the unit, with additional funding for peer support workers.

Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Bernadette Smith praised the collaborative program, noting it aligns with a mandate to hire 100 mental health workers to partner with law enforcement across Manitoba. 

“It recognizes that people in crisis need support, not punishment,” Smith said. “Connection to community-based mental health supports and well-being services can change outcomes and save lives.”

Lucia Aguilar, an advocate at the Western Manitoba Women’s Resource Centre, says the unit will be an important community resource.

It can help people falling through the cracks because of mental health, Aguilar said, adding trauma-informed care and pre-established relationships are critical “mental health first aid.”

“You can start building a relationship with them and understanding exactly what’s going on with them,” Aguilar said. “That way you can start building rapport and actually helping the client the way that they want to be helped and the way that they need.”

For Griffith-Conway, whose background is in social work and mental health advocacy, bringing the unit to Brandon was a “no-brainer.” 

She’s seen a sharp increase in mental health calls over her decade on the force. Griffith-Conway said the unit’s focus on de-escalation, relationship-building and connecting people to services will help prevent repeat emergencies.

The unit is already seeing  positive changes, largely built on the relationships it’s making, she said.

And it’s having an impact.

“We’ve seen a huge reduction and the transports that we’re seeing to [emergency],” Griffith-Conway noted.

“In some cases … we’ve been able to put wraparound supports in place for and not have them calling police all the time to react to the crisis that they’re in.”