VANCOUVER - A British Columbia study suggests about 40 per cent of mentally ill people have been arrested at some point during their lifetime.

The study, sponsored by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, also suggests the mentally ill are over-represented compared to others in police shootings, stun-gun incidents and fatalities.

The survey also found mentally ill people tend to have more negative attitudes toward police in comparison to the general population, but 85 per cent indicated police treated them respectfully.

The most common interactions between police and the mentally ill occurred while they were being transported to hospital or jail during a mental-health crisis or after alleged criminal behaviour.

Ninety per cent of those who took part in the study believed it is very important to train police officers in handling situations involving people with a mental illness.

The study included more than 300 mentally ill people who took part in interviews, surveys and focus groups, and researchers analyzed dozens of reports from around the world on similar issues.

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