Supporting Individuals At Risk
Public safety includes protecting and supporting those most at risk. The LPS works alongside health, housing and social service partners to respond to complex needs with compassion, collaboration and care.
Our work focuses on early intervention, coordinated support and connecting vulnerable individuals to long-term community services.
Missing Persons Unit
The Missing Persons Unit manages and investigates all reports of missing individuals, ranging from lost children and youth to the elderly to adults with cognitive impairments, as well as complex cases involving abductions.
- Most cases are resolved within 24 hours, ensuring families and loved ones are reunited quickly.
- Long-term or complex investigations may be transferred to the Major Crime Section depending on the circumstances.
Every missing person report is treated with urgency and care, recognizing the profound impact these cases have on individuals, families and the community.
Persons at Risk Outreach
Since 2005, the LPS has operated a Persons at Risk Outreach initiative dedicated to supporting women involved in street-level sex work, a population that faces heightened vulnerability and complex barriers to safety.
Through the Persons at Risk Coordinator, the LPS:
- Advocates for nearly 150 women in the community
- Connects individuals to mental health care, addiction services, housing supports, and trauma counselling
- Acts as a consistent, trusted point of contact for women seeking stability and safety
Partnerships are critical to this work. In collaboration with Street Level Women at Risk (SLWAR):
- 61referrals were made in 2024
- 7individuals successfully transitioned into sustained housing with ongoing supports
Additionally, the Persons at Risk Coordinator directly supported 98 individuals at risk of survival sex work or human trafficking in 2024, in our efforts to ensure no one faces their challenges alone.
Partnerships in Homelessness Hubs
The LPS plays an essential role in London’s Whole of Community System Response to homelessness and addiction.
Throughout the development of Homelessness Hubs, officers collaborate with a multi-agency care model alongside health and social service partners. These hubs focus on:
- Coordinated triage and stabilization
- Long-term housing solutions
- A “No Wrong Door” approach, ensuring every individual finds a pathway to help
By connecting people to the right service at the right time, the LPS helps reduce the cycle of crisis, criminalization and displacement and supports the city’s most marginalized residents in moving toward recovery and stability.
Collaborative Care for Mental Health and Addiction
The COAST team (Community Outreach and Support Team) brings together:
- London Police Service (LPS)
- St. Joseph’s Health Care London
- Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services (CMHA TVAMHS)
- London Health Sciences Centre’s Youth Team
This multidisciplinary team proactively engages individuals living with mental health and addiction issues before crises escalate.
COAST pairs specially trained police officers with mental health professionals to provide:
- Outreach and early intervention
- Crisis response and de-escalation
- Navigation to community treatment and support
By offering compassionate, coordinated care, COAST reduces hospital admissions, prevents justice system involvement and helps individuals find the right services for their needs.
Key 2024 Outcomes:
- 5,060incidents where mental health was a contributing factor
- 1,525Mental Health Act apprehensions
- 16,774officer hours dedicated to mental health-related calls
- 104individuals identified in three or more mental health-related occurrences in a given month
Since 2022, the COAST team has consistently supported an average of 14 to 16 individuals per month who have frequent interactions with police due to mental health concerns, helping them access the appropriate services before crises escalate. In 2024, the average number of mental health occurrences for those who are on the list (must have 3 or more to be on the list) was 4.3 monthly.
