Title:
Inclusive Policing in 21st Century Canada: Is a national inclusion strategy the answer?( file size: 1083k )

Author:
Lauzon, A.

Medium Type:
Project

Keyword(s):
Canadian police services, police culture, organizational behaviour, organizational development, inclusive policing, community policing, human rights

Supervisor(s):
Dr. Carolyn Greene

Abstract:
Police Services in Canada do not have a national inclusion strategy that guides them according to federal and/or provincial human rights legislation. This is challenging in relation to community policing as some police services either successfully grasp the concept of their duty to safeguard human rights or it is an ad hoc practice that is typically reactive when the agency has violated a human right. The purpose of this research is to examine the imposed and at times self-imposed limitations Canadian police services encounter as they strive to deliver a human rights based model of inclusive policing that respects the rights and dignity of individuals, and prevents the occurrence of human rights violations. Advocating for a type of inclusion strategy reconciles community/police conflict with the safeguarding of human rights. An interdisciplinary approach was applied using the theory of Organizational Behaviour (OB), the Multicultural Organizational Development Model (MCOD) and the Equality of Condition theory to understand the factors behind this challenging relationship. Interview analysis of one Canadian police service substantiated the emerging literature on the confronts of police culture, challenges of inclusion in policing institutions and gaps in awareness of the concepts of community policing and inclusive policing. Analysis also pointed to being open to an inclusion strategy that is accountable to the community. Such results encourage further dialogue with other Canadian police services and the public in building an inclusion framework that gives everyone a sense of belonging.