WINNIPEG-

A Manitoba judge is calling for the creation of a specialized team of police and paramedics to intervene when people are in crisis.

The recommendation is made in an investigation report into five men who died while in police custody in Winnipeg over 12 months in 2018 and 2019.

The investigation revealed that the men died while being held by police and waiting for medical assistance.

The deaths were unrelated, but in each case the men were under the influence of drugs, behaving agitated and in need of medical attention that did not arrive in time.

Judge Lindy Choy calls the death tragic.

She recommends that an officer and a medical professional jointly respond to a call when a person is in distress and may need medication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 25, 2024.