St. Thomas, ON – Thursday August 14th 2025
Last night, the St. Thomas Police Service responded to a high-risk incident involving a person in crisis on the railway bridge overlooking Athletic Park. The situation required a coordinated response from multiple specialized units, each playing a critical role in ensuring the safety of all involved.
Members of our Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), our trained Crisis Negotiators, front line officers and supervisors and our Communicators, worked together to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. We ensure that our members are highly trained professionals who rely on skill, patience, compassion and teamwork when responding to complex and unpredictable situations. The full integration of the Canadian Mental Health Association – Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST) within our police service assists our teams in a collaborative response strategy to crisis everyday.
The outcome of last night’s call underscores the pressures police services face in responding to individuals in health crisis — situations that are often unpredictable, emotionally charged and present significant safety risks to the individual, the public and responding officers.
Chief Marc Roskamp has been clear in his advocacy for addressing mental health crises in the community and is proud of the work by frontline police personnel. While the STPS will always respond to protect life and provide safety, there is an ongoing need for increased collaborative resources, ensuring that individuals in crisis receive the specialized care and support they need from the most appropriate professionals.
The St. Thomas Police Service remains committed to working alongside our community partners to improve responses to mental health calls and to advocate for a system that delivers the right care at the right time by the right people.
