Swift Current is one of the newest cities to get on board with the Police and Crisis Team (PACT); an initiative between the Saskatchewan government and the Saskatchewan health authority that would partner a mental health social worker into the detachment to assist in responding to mental health calls that come in on a nightly basis.

Staff Sergeant Evan Gordon says that he firmly believes that while maybe not all drug users have mental health issues, drug use can certainly magnify and help to sustain them, and vice versa.

"Folks with mental health issues might be a little more likely to turn to substances and it becomes a vicious spiral. So I believe that by having this mental health nurse (sic) riding with our members, we're going to be better equipped to identify some of the signs of mental health or substance abuse and may be able to triage them into the help that they need a little bit quicker or more effectively. But also provide some more long-term meaningful care."

He added that while a responding officer may deal with the symptom of the issue, sometimes underlying issues can get missed because members are simply not trained to deal with it.

With the security clearance stage now completed for Swift Current's own PACT social worker, she'll be headed to North Battleford for some in-person training for her new role.

In Swift Current, working out of the detachment, she'll split her time between responding to calls with the RCMP officers and working on her own caseload.

"If a call comes in that we have someone in a mental health crisis, she'll be in the detachment, ready to go and hop in with our police officers. She'll be fully geared up, very identifiable who she is and that she's with us."