Meeting the Needs and Demands of Your Changing Community by Improving Service Delivery Through the Development of a Culturally Responsive Approach

Superintendent Harry Dhillon currently serves as the commander in charge of 12 Division with Peel Regional Police. Peel Region, situated just west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is home to approximately 1.5 million residents who are served by Peel Regional Police through its 5 divisions.

Superintendent Harry Dhillon embarked on his policing career with Peel Regional Police in the year 2001. He amassed valuable experience working in a leadership capacity in various areas including Uniform Patrol, Street Crime Unit, Gang Unit, Major Drugs and Vice Unit, Intelligence, Organized Crime Unit and the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

In 2022, he was assigned as the Staff Officer to Deputy Chief Marc Andrews of the Community Policing Operations Command, further underscoring his pivotal role within Peel Regional Police and his ongoing commitment to public safety and excellence in law enforcement.

In 2024, he was promoted to Superintendent and has since taken command of 12 Division. During this time, Superintendent Dhillon was also the Senior Leader Sponsor for the initiative that he will be presenting on at the IACP Conference.

Acting Inspector Darren Doody commenced his policing career with Peel Regional Police in 1999. Throughout his career he has garnered extensive experience across various bureaus, including Uniform Patrol, Street Crime, Major Drugs, Organized Crime, Public Order Unit, Corporate Learning, the Hostage and Crisis Negotiator Unit and most recently, serving as an incident commander in the Duty Inspector’s office.

Notably, Acting Inspector Doody spearheaded the South Asian Community Engagement initiative, where he coordinated and led the development of a culturally responsive service delivery framework. This initiative has led to innovative strategic changes, which include the establishment of a Cross Functional Support Team and Community Ambassador (CA) Program.

Currently, he is the officer-in-charge of the Cross Functional Support Team and the CA Program, which serves as a streamlined and coordinated point of contact, responding to the specific needs of the community across all areas of the organization.

John Versluis is the Manager of Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) at Peel Regional Police where he supports a range strategic and operational initiatives to achieve the Service's CSWB goals and objectives. This includes strengthening partnerships, supporting alternative approaches to service delivery, and managing initiatives to improve service to priority populations. Prior to joining Peel Regional Police in 2021, John had a 17-year career in the municipal social and community services sector where he was responsible for human service planning and investment initiatives to strengthen the safety and well-being of communities. John holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Victoria.