News Release - Winnipeg Police Service

Wednesday, December 14th, 2016            The Winnipeg Police Service is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of citizens in our community. As a result, we have partnered with ProTraining to provide our officers with mental health awareness training designed to assist with recognizing distress and enhancing positive outcomes.         What is ProTraining?         ProTraining provides mental health and de-escalation training focusing on preventing violent encounters in police interactions. Training has been created and approved with the help of an International Advisory Board of police officers, police educators, mental health professionals, academic researchers, adult educators, eLearning experts and individuals with experiences from the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.         What does training provide?         Key concepts teach officers verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, de-escalation techniques, empathy skills, and how to interact with someone who is un-responsive, uncooperative or threatening. Training is based on 5 years of scientific research out of the University of Alberta, leading to:          41% decrease in physical use-of-force 26% decrease in weapon force 19% increase in efficiency 41% increase in mental health awareness 23% increase in officer confidence         How is training delivered?         ProTraining is delivered using a combination of online and classroom training. It is anticipated that all Winnipeg Police officers will participate in the training over the next two years. This will form part of a regular in-service training regimen. Why do police need this training?          This training offers a unique, engaging and interactive way to not only inform officers about useful skills, but also includes realistic scenarios allowing them to practice these skills. It is evidence-based training that has been found to significantly decrease use-of force used in mental health calls.          By focusing on appropriate and sufficient training for police around mental illness we can provide officers with the skills needed to respond emphatically and employ de-escalation techniques. This can lead to avoiding the use of undue force, and preventing negative outcomes.          For more information about this program, please visit the ProTraining website at http://www.protraining.com/.   For further information contact either: Constable Jason Michalyshen, Public Information Officer Constable Rob Carver, Public Information Officer Kelly Dehn, Manager of Public Affairs Phone: (204) 986-3061 | Fax: (204) 986-3267 | Email: WPS-PIO@Winnipeg.ca Share this mailing with your social network by clicking on the appropriate link:       Related Winnipeg Police Service Report a Crime Online Crime Stoppers CrimeStat Unsubscribe If you do not want to receive these emails anymore, unsubscribe. Please do not reply to this email. This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address and replies are not monitored. Mailing address: City of Winnipeg, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3B 1B9 Privacy Statement The City of Winnipeg values your privacy. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties. You are receiving this email as a result of your signing up for the Winnipeg Police Service Email News list offered on the City of Winnipeg website. You may unsubscribe or change your subscription options at any time.