A three-day workshop on Mental Health and Law Enforcement was officially opened yesterday by Dr. Sonia Chahil at the Ocean View International Hotel. Dr. Chahil during her opening remarks stated that not only is the health sector involved but also Human Services and law enforcement. “Health alone cannot solve all the issues that we’re going to be talking about, it’s going to take all of you working as a team,” she said.
She further explained that this initiative arose out of the tragedies that happened in 2009: “There was an enormous amount of stress, understandably, within communities, within law enforcement, within health to have to deal with not only the deaths of the many individuals but also the aftermath.”
It was former Police Commissioner, Henry Greene who approached the then Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy to ask if there was anything the Ministry of Health could do to work along with law enforcement. Dr. Chahil advised that at the end of the meeting there was consensus on two things: They would introduce a mental health curriculum focused on the health, welfare and well being of law enforcement officers and build a curriculum that would provide law enforcement with the tools that they would need to deal with people that are under crisis, severe stress or mental disorder.
The first day of the workshop was focused on how law enforcement, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Human Services and Social Security can form a collaboration to help both professionals and clients and patients as well.