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Mental illness patients strain Canada's police forces

Winnipeg police chief Devon Clunis said the city pays large amounts of overtime for police to deal with people living with mental illness.

Too many people who live with mental illness are being released from provincial institutions before they're ready, then going on to commit crimes, say Canada's police chiefs.

The candid comments were made Wednesday in Winnipeg, on the final day of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) annual general meeting.

Jim Chu, president of the CACP, called on governments to "step-up" and provide adequate care and facilities for the mentally ill.

“Police should not be the front-line on mental health issues," he said.

"Lack of funding in the health care system is putting these people on the streets. We need to shift from a point of crisis to preventing the crisis from occurring in the first place.”

Often, people living with mental illness take up too much of an officer's time, and it's a problem right across the country, said Chu.

Winnipeg police chief Devon Clunis said the city pays out large amounts of overtime for police to deal with people living with mental illness.

He remembers one time when he spent an entire shift in hosptial with a person with mental illness.

Although the chiefs agree more needs to be done, they wouldn't be more specific about how things need to change.