Police plan to engage youth in Mississauga and Brampton
Peel Regional Police are working on a new plan aimed at improving how it connects with young people, and the public is being asked to help shape it.
The Youth Engagement Plan developed by the Peel Police Service Board is intended to strengthen positive relationships between police and young people across Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, including students, educators, school communities and organizations that work with youth.
The plan is still being developed, and the board says hearing directly from the community will be an important part of the process.
“Meaningful youth engagement begins with meaningful community engagement,” said Sumeeta Kohli, chair of the board’s Governance and Human Rights Committee.
The board is particularly looking to hear from students, parents, educators, community organizations and other residents about their experiences and perspectives.
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The effort comes as police services across the country increasingly look at how they can build trust and positive relationships with young people before interactions with police become focused on enforcement.
For Peel police, the proposed plan is expected to provide a broader framework for engaging with youth rather than relying solely on individual school programs or community initiatives.
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The board says its role is to provide oversight of the police service and ensure the plan is informed by community perspectives, transparency and human rights considerations.
Residents will have an opportunity to weigh in during a public consultation hosted by the board’s Governance and Human Rights Committee on Sept. 15.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Regional Council Chambers at Regional Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive in Brampton.
The consultation will begin with a presentation from Peel Regional Police outlining its preliminary Youth Engagement Plan and its approach to building stronger relationships with young people.
Members of the public who want to address the committee are asked to email the Police Services Board at [email protected] with a brief summary of what they wish to discuss. Presentations will be limited to five minutes to allow as many people as possible to participate.
Residents who cannot attend in person will be able to watch the meeting online, with a recording available afterward.
The consultation is also part of a broader move by the Police Services Board to make its work more accessible to the public.
The Governance and Human Rights Committee will now meet in public wherever possible, following the introduction of public meetings for the Board’s Finance Committee.
The meetings will be livestreamed and archived online, allowing residents to see discussions and deliberations before matters reach the full Police Services Board for a final decision.
Nando Iannicca, chair of the Peel Police Services Board, said opening the committee meetings is intended to strengthen public confidence in police governance.
“Public confidence is strengthened when governance is open, accountable and informed by the communities we serve,” Iannicca said.
The board has also highlighted its commitment to a human-rights approach to policing oversight. Peel is the first police board in Ontario to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
That approach is expected to be part of the Board’s oversight of the Youth Engagement Plan, with an emphasis on transparency, accountability, collaboration and engagement with Peel’s diverse communities.
The board says additional information about the Sept. 15 consultation, including the agenda and supporting materials, will be posted online ahead of the meeting.
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