Chief Nishan Duraiappah was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada. Chief Duraiappah began his career with Halton Police in December 1995. He served in a variety of assignments throughout his career including front line policing, specialized investigations and Diversity and Community relations. He was promoted to Deputy Chief of Halton Police in 2015 leading front line policing, community mobilization as well as innovation and technology.
In October 2019, Chief Duraiappah was appointed Chief of Peel Regional Police. Chief Duraiappah arrived with a mandate for change and the strategic goal of becoming the most progressive police service in Canada.
The 3500 members of Peel Regional Police are responsible for policing the 1.7 million population of the cities of Brampton and Mississauga. Amidst the first year of his command, Peel Regional Police championed:
- The creation of its first-ever community-embedded Intimate and Partner Violence Unit to respond to the growing needs in our Region
- A re-emphasis on front line policing
- A road map for Innovation and Technology, as well as a Digital Officer Transformation plan to better equip officers to serve the community
- The adoption of the Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) framework and establishment of a CSWB Bureau to modernize traditional community policing
Chief Duraiappah is committed to the safety and well-being of the community he serves, with one of the primary focuses being mental health and seeking multi-sectoral collaborative partnerships to reduce risk in the community.
Chief Duraiappah is a Board of Director for the Canadian Association of Chief’s of Police (CACP) and is a Past-President of the Ontario Association of Chief’s of Police (OACP) 2022/2023. Chief Duraiappah is also the Canadian representative on the Board of the Major Cities Chief’s Association (MCCA), which is a professional organization representing the largest cities in the United States and Canada. He is also an executive of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario (CISO).
Chief Duraiappah is heavily involved in the community and sits on several volunteer Boards, including the Runnymede Healthcare Centre, SAAAC Autism Centre, the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance (CSKA), and the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN). He is a Senate Member for the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Infantry Regiments of The Lorne Scots, and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Toronto, and a Diploma of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario.
He is also the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and is an Officer of the Order of Merit Canada. In 2022, Chief Duraiappah was appointed to the Order of Ontario.