Peel Regional Police are enhancing their services to better support the South Asian community in Mississauga and Brampton with the introduction of a new support team. This initiative, part of the South Asian Community Engagement (SACE) program, was announced on Wednesday.
With around 40% of Mississauga and Brampton residents identifying as South Asian, Chief Nishan Duraiappah emphasized the importance of this initiative: “This is about listening to our community and taking action.”
The new strategy includes the creation of a Cross-Functional Support Team and a Community Ambassador Program. These components aim to improve service delivery through strengthened response capabilities, robust internal capacity building, and increased community engagement.
If successful, this framework could become a model for culturally responsive practices across all communities served by Peel Regional Police.
The SACE initiative, launched last year, involved extensive community engagement, including town halls, consultations with community partners, and surveys to gather feedback. The new support team and ambassador program were unveiled at the Peel Police SACE Summit, which brought together over 200 community members, elected officials, and representatives from major police agencies across Canada.
Additionally, Peel Police have established an Extortion Investigative Task Force in response to a troubling trend of extortions targeting South Asian community members and businesses in Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon. At least six arrests have been made in Ontario, with related incidents, including arsons and shootings, reported in B.C. and Alberta. The RCMP is investigating potential connections between these cases.