What is Our Way Forward?
| Our Way Forward |
| Our Way Forward is the Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) strategy of Peel Regional Police. It challenges us to identify the underlying issues that generate many of our calls for service (e.g., mental health, addiction, homelessness) so that we can get people the help they need and reduce unnecessary interventions from police. It is also about being more proactive in addressing issues that result in crime, victimization and other community harms to keep our community safe and reduce the number of times that officers and investigators are called to incidents that could have been prevented. The strategy is guided by the Ontario CSWB framework. The framework is tool or ‘lens’ that shapes how we deliver services by focusing on four key areas: Incident Response, Risk Intervention, Prevention and Social Development. The ‘Our Strategy’ section provides examples of how we apply each area of the framework at Peel Regional Police Our Way Forward is aligned with Peel’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan and is part of our commitment to be a progressive, innovative, and inclusive police service. |
Examples of Community Safety and Well-Being at Peel Regional Police
| Community Safety and Well-Being Services Bureau |
| In 2020, Peel Regional Police established a Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Services Bureau as a first step to how we adopt CSWB practices and principles throughout our Service. The bureau, which is unique among police agencies in Ontario works with our members and the community to meet the needs of priority populations, support individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, prevent crime and keep our roads safe with a focus on proactive strategies and initiatives. Many of the initiatives below are part of the CSWB Services Bureau. |
| The Divisional Mobilization Unit (DMU) |
| The Divisional Mobilization Unit (DMU) was launched in 2021 to strengthen how we engage with our communities and support a wide range of priority populations, including those experiencing homelessness, mental health and addiction challenges and other socially-based issues. DMU officers address needs by connecting people with immediate resources to improve quality of life and reduce unnecessary police interactions. DMU works closely with many community partners throughout the region, including Elder Abuse Coordinators who help with issues involving older adults. Learn more about DMU on our website |
| Peel Situation Table |
| The Peel Situation Table has approximately 50 community partners that work together to provide timely supports to individuals at an elevated risk of harm of victimization. The goal of the table is to provide immediate access to community resources to stabilize the situation and reduce the need for involvement by police and other crisis-based responders. The table is co-chaired by the Canadian Mental Health Association of Peel-Dufferin and Peel Regional Police. Our Community Mobilization unit liaises with the Situation Table and works in coordination with the Divisional Mobilization Unit to address complex needs among priority populations. |
| Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams (MCRRT) |
| Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams (MCRRT) pair an officer and a community-based crisis worker from the Canadian Association of Mental Health Peel Dufferin. MCRRT is dispatched to calls for people in crisis to provide immediate access to a mental health professional. Our Mental Health Coordinator works closely with both the MCRRT and COAST teams. |
| Crisis Outreach and Support Teams (COAST) |
| The Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) pairs a plain clothes officer a community-based crisis worker from the Canadian Association of Mental Health Peel Dufferin. These teams offer supports to individuals who have recently experienced a mental health or addiction-related crisis to promote life stabilization, maintain well-being and prevent the need for a further crisis-based response. |
| Diversity, Equity and Inclusion unit |
| The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion unit supports a wide range of initiatives to promote and strengthen how we work in collaboration with Peel’s many diverse communities. This includes community engagement and outreach initiatives, education and training and following-up on hate motivated crimes incidents. |
| Road Safety Services |
| Road Safety Services (RSS) is a key part of the CSWB Services Bureau that works 24/7 to keep our roads safe with the goal of reducing and preventing fatal and life altering collisions. Through a Safer Roads team that proactively addresses dangerous driving and issues like street racing, RSS responds to all serious collisions and has implemented an enhanced Road Watch program to receive and address tips from the public on dangerous driving. |
| Intimate Partner Violence Unit |
| The Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) unit is part of the Peel Regional Police Investigative Services branch. It was launched in April 2021 to support survivors of intimate partner violence through a trauma informed lens. The IPV unit is an onsite partner of the Safe Centre of Peel (SCoP), which is a safe, welcoming and anti-oppressive space where many agencies work together to offer support and compassionate care to families affected by abuse and violence in Peel. |
Our Strategy – Applying the CSWB Framework at Peel Regional Police
| Incident Response |
| Incident response is where we spend the majority of our time responding to calls for service, investigating crime and supporting victims. Carrying-out our core policing functions to ensure the safety of our communities will always be the most important priority of the Service. Officers, however, are being called upon increasingly to situations that are the result of mental health, addiction, homelessness and other complex social issues, whichcannot be resolved through a traditional police response. Through a CSWB lens, our goal is to identify and address the root causes of these calls for service and put people on a pathway to get the support they need. Some key actions in this area of the framework:
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| Risk Intervention |
| Risk intervention is about addressing situations where there is an elevated risk of victimization or harm i.e., stopping a situation from boiling over into a crisis. Our key goal in this area of the framework is to connect people to community supports and resources to address underlying issues prevent unnecessary calls to police. This results in better outcomes for the individuals and communities we serve and enables officers and investigators to focus more on the calls for service and incidents where they are needed the most. Partnerships with other frontline service providers (e.g., Situation Table) are critical to this area of the framework. Some key actions in this area of the framework:
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| Prevention |
| Prevention is about proactively identifying and addressing and reducing risks to safety and well-being well before they result in crime, victimization or other harms. This includes situational measures (e.g., working with local business owners to proactively prevent break and enters) and policies and programs to address broader community priorities and needs (e.g. developing strategies to address priorities like road safety and to ensure we respond effectively to issues that involve mental health). Leveraging data and sharing information with partners is particularly important in this area of the framework. Our goal is to proactively address community needs and reduce risks to safety and well-being of individuals and communities before i.e., to get ahead of the curve. Some key actions in this area of the framework:
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| Social Development |
| Social Development is about moving further upstream through efforts that build resiliency and promote and maintain the safety and well-being of individuals and communities. This includes working with multi-sector partners to address community priorities from a wide range of perspectives. It is also about taking steps to ensure people are aware of the resources available to them and that support systems have the capacity to meet the needs of our residents and many diverse communities. Our goal is to work with our partners and our communities to actively contribute to efforts that maintain and enhance safety and well-being for all. Some key actions in this area of the framework:
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Mobilizing our Strategy
| Collaboration and partnerships |
Complex issues that impact the safety and well-being of communities cannot be addressed in by any one organization or sector. It requires the collective efforts of many partners working towards common goals, objectives and outcomes. Our goal is to establish effective partnerships and collaborative approaches in all areas of the CSWB Framework. Examples of how we will do this:
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| Culturally responsive, equitable and inclusive |
Peel is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Canada. The region is situated on lands that have been under the guardianship of Indigenous Peoples. It is our goal and responsibility to serve the entire community in a way that honours Indigenous history and culture and is culturally responsive, equitable and inclusive for all those who make Peel Region their home. Examples of how we will do this:
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| Data driven and evidence-based |
Timely data access to data is critical to all areas of the strategy. It helps ensure that we are focussed on the right priorities, enables us to deploy our CSWB resources effectively and, assists us in determining if our efforts are having the intended impact. Our goal is to mobilize solutions that are data-driven and evidence based. Examples of how we will do this:
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Where to Get Help
| Local Supports | ||||||||||||
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If you would like us to email you a copy of the CSWB strategy document, please contact us at OurWayForward@peelpolice.ca
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