Spatial Concentrations and Specialization of Mental Health Related Calls for Police Service

• In Event: Providing Mental Health Services in the Correctional system

Abstract

Over the past two decades, research has consistently shown that criminal activity concentrates in places. Places also exhibit specialization in criminal activity, largely based on criminal opportunities. However, recent research has shown that criminal events are only a relatively small fraction of calls for police service, generally 20-30 percent. In this paper, we investigate the spatial concentrations and spatial specialization of mental health related calls for police service in a number of municipalities in British Columbia. Overall, we find that mental health related calls are more concentrated in space than criminal events and that specialization relates to social- and health-related services for the mentally ill.

Authors

• Monica Ly, Simon Fraser University

• Tarah Hodgkinson, Simon Fraser University

• Martin A Andresen, Simon Fraser University

• Adam Vaughan, Simon Fraser University

• Allison Campbell, Simon Fraser University