Mental health training among police in the capital region is grossly inadequate and must receive a much higher profile among police departments, a coroner's jury recommended on Friday.

The panel of three men and two women is urging that a fledgling outreach project, involving psychiatric professionals and a police officer in plain clothes assessing the mentally ill, be expanded beyond a six-month pilot project to a 24/7 service.

This was among six recommendations made by a jury at the close of a five-day inquest into the death of Majencio Camaso, 33, who died July 11, 2004 when he was shot by Const. Kris Dukeshire in the playground area of Richmond elementary school in Saanich.

Camaso had not been taking medication to treat a psychiatric disorder and his wife, Teresa, called 911 for help to get him under control. He lit the floor of the couple's Newton Gardens apartment on fire using gasoline and was spotted running away by a B.C. Ambulance paramedic who notified police.

Camaso armed himself with a crowbar and pipe before running toward Dukeshire, who testified he had no option but to shoot Camaso with his handgun.

The inquest has examined the relationship between police and the mentally ill, specifically how well trained police are to handle crises involving people with mental problems.

The jury is recommending better training begin with police recruits attending the Justice Institute and continue on a regular basis with police departments here. Recruits doing field training with their home police departments should receive training specifically on the services offered by the emergency mental health service, said the jury.

Police at various jurisdictions need to improve communication on matters involving the mentally ill, the jury said.

Pertinent information on the mentally ill should be raised with officers at the start of each shift, the jury added. Also, 911 dispatchers should be brought up to speed on the services offered by the emergency mental health team so it could potentially be a fourth option -- adding to police, ambulance and fire. That team has an area of responsibility that spans Sooke to Sidney.

Earlier Friday, coroner Rose Stanton and the jury were told about the emergency mental health team, a pilot project which in November 2004 started an on-call, mobile service, available for police to call upon 1 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Losing the uniform is just part of the success in dealing with people suffering from psychosis, depression and suicidal tendencies, said Const. Matthew Waterman.

"When I come in (the door), I'm Matt -- I'm not Const. Waterman," he said.

Police officers graduating from basic training receive a total of three hours instruction on dealing with the mentally ill and that's "absolutely not" enough, testified Waterman.

Having an armed police officer in casual clothes gives a measure of safety to the social workers, child and youth workers and psychiatric nurses who team up with Waterman. He doesn't identify himself as a police officer unless he's asked and the last thing he wants to do is intimidate people who ask the team for help.

"That's what we're there for -- to get in the door without the big confrontation," Waterman said.

He's trying not to look or talk like a police officer because there are some occasions where the presence of an officer would inflame rather than quell a situation.

Before joining the team in November, Waterman worked in uniform in the patrol section of Victoria police. He knows much more now about what community-based help is available to the mentally ill.

"We had very little connection with any of the resources or the training to assist people in getting to them," Waterman testified.

He's now trying to share his knowledge with police across the region who routinely take psychiatric patients to the emergency room because they know of no other options.

"I see people being brought to emergency by police from other jurisdictions and they know nothing about me or our team until I introduce myself," Waterman told the inquest.

Since the pilot project began, the number of psychiatric patients appearing at Greater Victoria emergency wards has dropped by 17 per cent, testified program co-ordinator Devin Lynn.

Police need to continue learning about the mentally ill, said Waterman.

"I would like to see additional training within police departments," he said.

Officers are already required to include 20 hours of extra training in order to get incremental pay hikes, the jury heard. But there is no course yet available to Greater Victoria officers that would address possible voids in their knowledge regarding the mentally ill.