Diversity Relations Unit

In 1986, the Peel Regional Police introduced a new bureau dedicated to address diversity issues. This bureau, the Diversity Relations Unit, is staffed by two full time officers, trained to effectively monitor diversity related matters that may impact the Peel Regional Police and/or members of the various communities within our policing jurisdiction. Prior to the introduction of this specialized unit, police inter-community relations concerns were addressed by officers within the divisions.

The mandate of the Peel Regional Police Diversity Relations Unit is to work within the service and community to help eliminate barriers and dispel myths that may exist between the police and the various communities within its policing jurisdiction. The bureau conducts diversity awareness education sessions with all new personnel to help increase their level of effective service delivery. The bureau also provides training to all new personnel to ensure our service’s anti-discrimination and harassment polices are both understood and followed.

Diversity Relations Unit is responsible the following:

• Develop and maintain polices related to diversity issues to enhance our police service's ability to better serve the community
• Monitor police occurrence reports to ensure officers comply with said policies
• Provide assistance/guidance with any diversity related investigations when required
• Develop, deliver and amend, when required, all in-service awareness education modules relating to diversity and/or hate crime issues
• Conflict mediation for inter-community and/or police-community concerns
• Extensive community outreach initiatives to ensure the needs of the various communities within our policing jurisdiction are identified and addressed
• Develop and maintain partnerships with all communities to ensure police-community interactions are non-offensive without compromising officer safety practices
• Develop and maintain partnerships with other service providers within our policing jurisdiction (i.e.: community-based ethno-specific agencies, school boards, media, government)
• Identify, develop and maintain a networking partnership with other diversity focused service providers to strengthen our policies and practices and to share or seek out “Best Practices”

• The Peel Regional Police was the first police service to develop and issue all members with a handbook on diversity. This text, Police, Race and Ethnicity is now in its third edition and is issued to many other police services as well as utilized as a training aid by many law enforcement agencies
• The Peel Regional Police has earned recognition as an accredited member of C.A.L.E.A. (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc.), an international agency that recognizes excellence in delivery of policing services and related standards.
• The Peel Regional Police received an award in 1997 from the Human Rights and Race Relations Commission of Toronto. The award was presented to us for our “Excellence in Race and Ethnic Relations for having made a significant contribution to the promotion of positive Race and Ethnic Relations”
• The initiatives undertaken by the Peel Regional Police to improve race relations, have been recognized by several community based agencies:
  • The Chinese Businessmen’s Association
  • The National Indo-Canadian Association
  • Peel Multicultural Council
  • Carrassauga and Carabram Planning Committees
  • Multicultural Inter-Agency Group of Peel
• The Peel Regional Police has had input into the provincial standardize police training on diversity issues and representatives have delivered its Diversity Awareness module to law and criminology students at the secondary school, community college and university level. We have also assisted community-based agencies develop training modules and policies.
• We have successfully partnered with community based, ethno-specific agencies when patterns of recurring law enforcement problems have been identified. Through these partnerships, we have been able to reduce the recidivism rate with certain offences, making the overall community safer.
• By establishing partnerships with the communities within our policing jurisdiction, recruiting initiatives to attract a broader representation of the region’s population have proved successful. These same initiatives have been applied internally to ensure the ranks reflect our community.
• The Diversity Relations Unit introduced an annual event to celebrate our diversity; partnered with community based, ethno-specific agencies and businesses, the Peel Regional Police has hosted 5th successful Race Against Racism events.
• The Peel Regional Police work with several community advisory committees to ensure our community’s needs are properly identified and addressed in our service delivery.
• Representatives from our specialized units, serve as advisors on Boards of several community based agencies. Members also participate on planning and support committees throughout the region.
• The Peel Regional Police Diversity Relations Unit officers have been actively involved in the planning of an international Conference for Hate Crime as well as involved in the planning and delivery of several smaller, locally held Diversity Issues/Hate Crime workshops.