Deputy Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah made a member of the Order of Merit

By Staff

September 20, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

The Order of Merit was created in 2000, to honour a career of exceptional service or distinctive merit displayed by the men and women of Canadian police forces. The primary focus is on exceptional merit, contributions to policing, and community development.

Last Friday the Governor General of Canada made Halton Deputy Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah a member of that Order.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presided over an Order of Merit of the Police Forces investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall on Friday, September 16, 2016. During the ceremony, the Governor General, who is chancellor of the Order, bestowed the honour on 1 Commander, 4 Officers and 46 Members including Deputy Chief Nishan J. Duraiappah
Credit: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall

Deputy Chief Nishan J. Duraiappah

Deputy Chief Nishan (Nish) Duraiappah was introduced to the Halton Regional Police Service as high school student in its inaugural Police Ethnic and Cultural Education Program (P.E.A.C.E.) in 1991. The experience inspired him to pursue a career in policing, and he was sworn in as a constable assigned to uniform patrol in Halton Hills in December, 1995.

Since then, Deputy Chief Duraiappah has amassed considerable operational expertise as a member of the Regional Drug & Morality Bureau, Guns & Gangs Unit, District Criminal Investigations, and with the RCMP Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. He has also served as Operations Commander for Milton and Halton Hills, the Commander of the Office of Continuous Improvement and Strategic Management (OCISM), and the Superintendent in charge of the Chief’s Executive Office.

Duraiappah was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief in October, 2015 and now leads District Operations for all our municipalities as well as the Regional Community Mobilization Bureau, Information Technology and OCISM.

Throughout the course of his career, Deputy Chief Duraiappah has remained committed to proactive, innovative policing, and to maintaining strong relationships with the Region’s diverse, cultural and faith communities. He is also involved with several sports and hobbies, and is a volunteer board member for the Milton United Way, and a South Asian Autism Awareness Centre in the Greater Toronto Area.

Deputy Chief Duraiappah 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.

Halton Regional Police Service Chief Stephen Tanner, himself a former recipient of the Order of Merit said “Deputy Chief Duraiappah is an exceptional leader and tireless community advocate who is a most deserving recipient of this prestigious award. It is my honour and pleasure to extend my congratulations to him on behalf of our Service and the people of Halton.”

Governor General David Johnston awarded the Order of Merit during a ceremony at Rideau Hall.

At the risk of being critical – could the Governor General not have buttoned up his suit jacket?