Police Chief Jim Chu renewed his call Thursday for more mental health services to be made available in the city as police continue to respond to incidents involving mentally ill people.

Chu made the comment Thursday at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Downtown Vancouver Association at Simon Fraser University’s campus at the Woodward’s complex in the Downtown Eastside.

“We are the social service agency, we are the mental health service agency of last resort,” he said in response to a question from a member of the audience. “We can’t shut our door at 5 p.m. and say we’re closed for business. But also, we’re the wrong tool in the toolbox to deal with the mentally ill.”

Chu made his comments two days after a 24-year-old man armed with a knife held a three-year-old boy hostage at the Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre. After several hours of negotiations, police stormed in the bathroom and rescued the boy, who allegedly received a large cut on his cheek from the man, who is of no fixed address and known to police.

Chu told the crowd Thursday the suspect “did show signs of a mental disorder.” At one point, up to 50 police officers were involved in the investigation. He said a mental health expert was also brought in to help with the investigation, which involved a VPD negotiator and family member of the suspect. Two years ago, police issued a report called Lost in Transition that showed how a lack of mental health services in the city was “downloading” the work to the VPD.

The chief said the VPD has a police officer and psychiatric social worker devoted to mental health calls. The provincial government also opened a facility in Burnaby for the mentally ill, but it has a long waiting list, he said.

“That has been a step in the right direction,” he said, noting the Lower Mainland could use at least three more such facilities. “There’s a cohort of people that can’t get into the Burnaby centre. And the reason they can’t get in is they’re deemed too addicted [to drugs] or too mentally ill for them to go into a facility like that because they would be so disruptive. So where are those people right now? They’re in the Downtown Eastside and we come into contact with them on many, many occasions.”

Over the years, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and other advocacy organizations have criticized the VPD for its use of force in dealing with mentally ill people. “I don’t like the fact that my officers are put in positions where they have to use force against someone that does not understand why they’re doing certain things,” Chu told the Courier after the breakfast meeting. “But unfortunately we have to intervene to protect that person or innocent people that might be bystanders.”

The VPD report on mental health calls recommended the provincial government open an urgent care centre for mentally ill people. The government has not provided the funding.

Judy Graves, the city’s liaison to the homeless, attended Chu’s speech Thursday and agreed an urgent care centre is needed, especially in the Downtown Eastside. “Right now, there’s a lot of talk but as always with a lot of talk, it has a chance of leading somewhere,” said Graves, who was given an award by the Downtown Vancouver Association for her work with the homeless.

mhowell@vancourier.com

Twitter:@Howellings