The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) has selected Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah as their new president.
Chief Duraiappah will serve as the president for a one-year period and succeeds outgoing President Chief Gary Conn from Chatham-Kent Police Service.
Under Chief Duraiappah, Peel Regional Police is undergoing significant organizational transformation. He and his organization are committed to being Canada’s most progressive, innovative and inclusive police service. Learnings from this transformation of Canada’s third-largest municipal police service will serve as a roadmap for other OACP member services.
“I want to thank Chief Conn for his incredible leadership and contributions during an important and transitional period in policing in Ontario and across Canada. As we look to the future, there is an opportunity to make seismic shifts in incident response and how police services in our Province can better serve their communities. By establishing multi-sectoral partnerships to find upstream solutions, together with our communities, we can better address systemic and societal issues rather than continuing to apply traditional police and justice system response”, said Chief Duraiappah.
“We are excited that Chief Duraiappah will lead our association. Chief Duriappah’s passion and dedication to professional and accountable policing ensures that the OACP will remain the voice of progressive policing, one that prioritizes the safety and wellness of our sworn and civilian police professionals and communities members.” said Chief Gary Conn, who assumes the association’s Past-President position.
Since Chief Duraiappah’s appointment in 2019, Peel Regional Police has:
- entered into a groundbreaking agreement with the Ontario Human Rights Commission to address systemic racism in policing,
- overhauled and expanded response to mental health with non-police, health and social workers paired with uniformed officers,
- established a dedicated Intimate Partner Violence Unit,
- championed a road map for innovation and technology to leverage the best available equipment for improved data-driven decision-making and equip officers to serve their community better.
The OACP is a not-for-profit association established in 1951 to be the voice of Ontario’s police leaders, serving police leaders in the federal, provincial, municipal, and indigenous police services all across the Province, as well as affiliated organizations in the public and private sectors.
