New registry will help police deal with vulnerable people
WATERLOO REGION — A new local registry to be launched at the end of this month will assist police when they’re called out to help a vulnerable person.
The Vulnerable Persons Registry — www.vulnerablepersonsregistry.ca — will be online April 30.
The project was introduced to police by an officer who has an autistic son, and has expanded to include individuals who have physical, cognitive or mental health needs that may cause them to exhibit atypical behaviours.
The registry could include a parent with dementia or someone with other special needs.
“This gives us a better way to deliver service,” said Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin.
“It’s a smart approach to community work.”
The registry was created to help police called to assist those who often are unable to tell an officer what is wrong. It’s a joint initiative between the police and various social service agencies.
Police will have access to information such as physical description and a home address, and traits or preferences such as a favourite hangout or a child’s favourite sports team, as well as photographs.
Typically, police send an officer to a person’s home to collect that information from the family. With the registry they already have it through the database accessible by dispatchers.
The registry will also include at least one descriptor of the special need or disability, Barb Hill of KidsAbility told Waterloo Regional Police Board members at a meeting Wednesday.
An example could be a senior who likes to wander or a child who has fetal alcohol syndrome, she said.
There are about a dozen similar registries across the province. Many focus on children with autism.
The local registry is different because it is being co-ordinated by the Waterloo Region Family Network, Hill said.
The network — started six years ago by a group of parents of children with special needs with the aim of helping each other — advised police on the registry, first connecting with parents to get input on what information should be gathered.
Parents of children with special needs were eager to help, said network executive director Sue Simpson.
They know situations emerge in which police need to be involved, and they’d like officers to be prepared.
“They just would like someone to know how to approach their child,” Simpson said.
The registry is free for anyone living in Waterloo Region, Guelph, Stratford and Brantford who feel they are vulnerable in an emergency. People can register themselves, or their parent or guardian.