Region of Peel Intimate Partner Violence is a critical priority for the Peel Regional Police (PRP).
In support of that, PRP has created a specialized Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Unit, which will join the Safe Centre of Peel (SCoP) as an onsite partner. This represents a groundbreaking change to the service’s response model and places it as one of the few large services nationally to incorporate this approach.
SCoP is a safe, welcoming and anti-oppressive space where many agencies work together at one location to offer support and compassionate care to adults, children and youth affected by abuse and violence in Peel.
Including Police, there are currently seven on-site partner agencies, and 10 off-site partners who provide services to clients of the centre. Police services will be integrated with the array of other supports available at SCoP (including crisis and high risk case management, system navigation, housing assistance, multi-cultural services, legal support, parenting and child welfare).
“The goal of SCoP’s partnerships is to provide an array of different services in one location, creating a continuum of care with consistent, seamless integration. Through close collaboration with all of our partners, we provide compassionate support to help victims and their families heal, and ultimately create a safer community,” said Sharon MayneDevine, CEO of Catholic Family Services Peel – Dufferin, lead agency at the Safe Centre of Peel.
Officers in the IPV Unit have received special training in antiracism and culturally appropriate and sensitive responses, domestic violence and sexual assault investigation, victim care and management, and interviewing children, to offer better care and support to
survivors through an enhanced, trauma-informed approach. Language Services Black, racialized, and female officers are available, and members of the unit speak 14 different languages.
The addition of the IPV Unit to the Centre aligns with the existing Community Safety and Well Being Plan..
The main advantage for clients will be that survivors of violence who choose to make a report to the police will be able to do so conveniently, with specially trained officers sensitive to their needs, in a safe and comfortable setting, without having to visit a police station.
Officers wear plain clothes, and interview rooms are comfortably furnished to help survivors
feel more at ease. No client of the Safe Centre of Peel is ever required to make a police report, and personal information will not be shared with police or any other service provider without the client’s consent.
“It takes a great deal of courage for survivors of violence to reach out for help. At the Safe Centre of Peel, it is our goal to create a safe space for them, where they can access culturally responsive services that are suited to their personal situation,” said Shelina Jeshani, co-chair of the Safe Centre of Peel Advisory Committee.
Nishan Duraiappah, Chief, Peel Regional Police, said: “We will continue to push for enhancements to our service delivery through integration and colloboration with our service partners. This is the type of service innnovation which will equip us to make a difference in people’s lives and save lives.”
The Safe Centre of Peel is based on the Family Justice Centre model, where multiple agencies offer services for survivors of family violence in the same location. The Safe Centre of Peel is located at the Honourable William G. Davis Centre for Families at 60 West Drive. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCoP offices are closed.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all services at SCoP are currently being offered virtually as the office is closed. Please contact the Safe Centre at 905-450-4650. If you are in crisis, please call the Victim Services of Peel 24-hour crisis line at 905-568-1068 or contact Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311 or in case of emergency please contact 9-1-1.