The York Regional Police service has been using mindfulness techniques over the past few years. Using the Mindfulness Without Borders (MWB) program initially, participants got a taste of the many possible benefits that mindfulness meditation may offer. The essence of the MWB program involves creating cross-cultural conversations where people of all backgrounds can explore and build a repertoire of skills for enhancing their social and emotional awareness, their decision-making process and their overall health and well-being.
The York Regional Police training branch in late 2016 then established their own police specific material relating to mindfulness to assist officers in recognizing what arises at the moment when they are interacting with a member of the public. Like many other mindfulness programs that have done great work on the back end of trauma, the York Regional Police service has focused on the performance aspect of the mindset of its class to encourage the learner to look inward to be better outward when coming into contact with the public.
Since December 2016, the group, along with the police service psychologist, has endeavoured to look at some specific questions regarding a police officer and mindfulness. Right now the police organization is looking at the increase in self-awareness through recognizing patterns of behaviour. The group is also currently in the early stages of an implementing a plan to provide recruits with the skills to assess their resilience for their ability to recover.
Jon Carson is bringing mindful meditation to the York Regional Police force. After spending four years in therapies after being diagnosed with PTSD in 2009, Carson was handed a magazine about mindfulness. On the cover? An officer, much like himself, speaking about meditation. The magazine marked a turning point in Carson’s life, and he began practicing mindfulness and meditation, first individually, before bringing it to the police force. Today, Carson, a training and academic instructor, works with various officers in the force, teaching them how to incorporate mindfulness into their everyday lives and policing.