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Ottawa Citizen

OPS mental health advisory council to shape police response to crises

The Ottawa Police Service is establishing a mental health advisory council to help shape its response to mental health crises and substance use-related calls. Article content Article content A report on the new advisory council will be tabled at the Ottawa Police Services Board on Monday, a little over four months after an inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi wrapped up. Article content Abdi, a Somali-Canadian man, died in a Ottawa hospital in July 2016 after Const. Daniel Montsion and Const. David Weir responded to a 911 call alleging a man was groping women at a Hintonburg coffee shop. Article content Article content Abdi, 38, appeared to be in a mental health crisis at the time, and was beaten during the arrest, the inquest heard last year. Article content Article content Abdi's death sparked discussions, protests and marches. The Justice for Abdirahman Coalition said the death exposed racial inequities within the OPS, as well as 'disappointing failures' in police training and mental health response. Article content Last December, the inquest jury deemed Abdi's death a homicide (inquest jurors are required to make a finding on the cause of death, but that carries no legal liability) and made more than 50 recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths. Article content Article content The inquest recommendations included a mental health advisory council (MHAC), which will develop a OPS-wide strategy to improve outcomes when police respond to mental health crises. Article content The MHAC is to foster public trust and internal change, while also identifying opportunities where the force can improve, OPS Chief Eric Stubbs said in the report. Article content 'The OPS recognizes that true progress requires meaningful collaboration with the communities most affected by police interactions involving mental health,' he said.