Hundreds of colleagues, dignitaries and family members gathered in Mississauga to welcome Peel Regional Police’s newest chief.
Nishan (Nish) Duraiappah was officially sworn-in on Tuesday afternoon and said that he hopes to mark a “new page in the history of the organization.”
“I am quite aware that this moment is really about celebrating this organization, the history, the traditions and best practices that it has had,” Duraiappah said. “The trust that the public expects from us is the same that I expect from each of you-right from our command group to our front lines and it is what you are going to get from me. The wellness of our members is foremost. If we are not good on the inside we will never be good on the outside. “
Born in Sri Lanka, Duraiappah immigrated to Canada where he later began his career with the Halton Regional Police in 1995.
The swearing-in follows the departure of controversial former Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans earlier this year.
In 2016, community groups called for Evans’ resignation after she condoned the practice of carding.
That same year Evans, and the police services board, was named in a $12 million lawsuit filed by the family of Jermaine Carby who was fatally shot by police after a traffic stop in Brampton, in which he was carded.
The lawsuit has not been tried and the allegations against Evans have not been proven in court.
