Calgary Police Service welcomes new members to its Anti-Racism Action Committee

In September 2020, we made a promise to all Calgarians that we would be relentless in our pursuit of anti-racism, equity and inclusion. Since then, we have been engaging with members of our community, listening to their concerns and learning about barriers to delivering equitable service. Now we are working to develop a path forward, together with our community.

We recognize there is no end-post in this journey. To know we are on the right path means we must walk alongside the community, continuously checking in and working collaboratively to bridge relationships with trust, accountability and transparency in order to find solutions and eliminate barriers to service.

We have completed a strategic roadmap in consultation with Habitus and ActionDignity that clearly shows the way forward for CPS to be successful in systemic change. Continued education, increased awareness and meaningful consultation with community remain core to our progress. To date, we have listened to Calgarians and have begun to offer some services in additional languages, increased resources that can be accessed in multiple translations online and have begun a review of policies and procedures. Our crisis transformation work is also grounded in our commitments, and we have delivered on several groundbreaking initiatives that better serve the most vulnerable of Calgarians, including those experiencing mental health or addiction-related crises. All of this work could not have been achieved without the support and guidance of our Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC).

“We are honoured to have the new and returning ARAC members contribute to reforming how we serve our community. They not only bring their strong community ties but also their unique perspectives and lived experiences to inform a reform in policing,” says Superintendent Asif Rashid of the Calgary Police Service. “As we move into the second term of meetings with our ARAC, we are pleased to see how they have successfully consulted on policies, procedures and practices. While we are just beginning to see the implementation of those changes, we are confident that the future of the Calgary Police Service will reflect true collaboration with the community.”

Looking to the future, we are excited to welcome four new members to the Calgary Police Service ARAC for a new term.

We are always looking for community feedback, and community engagement. Please visit https://www.cps-arac.ca to see how you can participate and stay informed about our commitments, and to read more about the exceptional Calgarians who are helping to guide the CPS in our pursuit of anti-racism, diversity and inclusion.