Police departments in Halifax, Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Kelowna are among cities that have partnered with local health-care providers to create mobile response units for mental health issues.

The idea is to offer an alternative to police alone turning up to calls about people in mental distress.

The project pairs officers with mental health professionals.

The units are a response to a string of incidents in which police have responded to mental health crisis calls, ending in the person in distress being killed.

Margaret Eaton, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, says there aren’t good supports in place for mental health to begin with.