Policing in a society that is largely diverse has proved to be a controversial issue. Its controversy comes where the conflicting national identities, religions, and cultures are challenging the existing order, and where there is a disparity in the capability of the police to overcome its prejudices and engage with the diversity. The debate of policing in a culturally diverse society is rooted in the concept of political responses to multiculturalism. Yet, the policing issue is significant because it entails the nature of work and the form of engagement of the police. In most multicultural settings, the minority groups have been estranged from the police they see as enforcing discriminating and unfair policies or due to the cultural and language barriers ( Ben-Porat, 2008) . As a result, the perception can dent the work of the police while also preventing the minority groups from accessing the services they deserve. These cases are complicated when the police and the minority groups have a history of violence that would lead to high levels of mutual mistrust. The picture that is portrayed in various countries between the law enforcers and the minorities irks a public dilemma in policing where the police are put to contemplate its effectiveness counter to legitimacy and its organizational culture and structure versus the changes the of a diverse society that pushes for reforms.
This paper is an exploration of the multicultural policy model that Canada has adopted in the bid to solve the problems of policing in a diverse society. In many democratic countries, the multicultural character is debated and policies implemented at different levels. However, Canada is a unique case in the formal adoption of diverse identity. The multicultural identity was transformed into specific policies and gave the country a comprehensive framework and experience in several policing issues. As a result, the Canadian police developments do not only align itself with neo-liberal spending cuts and new methods of governance but also targets at improving the credibility and legitimacy of the police among the racial and ethnic minorities.
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This credibility and legitimacy of the police with respect to the minorities is yet to be fully realized in Canada as some minority groups feel alienated. They report unfair and discriminatory treatment from the police. There is an over-representation of relations between the police and some of the groups in criminal court systems. The black community has a feeling that the police treat their race with bias as compared to how they treat the white people ( Hayle et al., 2016) . They are more likely to be pulled over in a vehicle and questioned by the law enforcers. Among the African American is the youth who are more susceptible to such stop-and-search procedures. This makes the youth also be a vulnerable minority group in the policing of Canada. However, the youth are also exposed to such treatment as a result of their ethnicity and religion. For instance, with the international fear of terrorism, the Somali youth and Muslims are more likely to be treated specially and thoroughly screened due to their stereotype that the Arabic speaking people have an active relation to terrorism or are sympathizers ( Ben-Porat, 2008) . The instances of dissatisfaction and distrust of the police, on one side, and the principal need to commit to multiculturalism, on the other, are the foundation of initiatives to carry out police reforms in Canada.
Methodology
The research employed the use of online searches for documents that talk about the issue of policing in Canada using keywords. The keywords used for the search were Canada policing, reforms, and minority groups’ relation to the police. The resulting articles were narrowed down for using some rationale based on relevance, and currency. The selected literature was then reviewed to compile the report.
Literature Review
The contemporary picture of globalization is that there is a need for the nations that view themselves as homogeneous to contend with the issue of multiculturalism and multinational inclusion. There are significant challenges for the institutions of the country and policing in particular with regards to different perceptions of the law, police, government, justice, different religions and child-rearing, and cultural practices that are common to multicultural societies ( Ben-Porat, 2008) . The minority-state conflict can ensue due to many reasons including political, cultural, and economic. In all these scenarios, it is the police who always find themselves in the front line. In some cases, when the violence becomes escalated, it comes evident that the state and the law enforcers are not fit for the task. In other instances, it is the overreaction of the police, based on prejudices, that lead to devastating consequences and further creates a rift of mistrust which erodes the police-minority relations.
As a case, the shooting of Pierre Coriolan, a 58-year old African American by the Montreal is a clear indication of the brutality against minorities ( Rukavina, 2018) . The man was destroying items in his house when a neighbor tipped the police. It was said that he suffered from a mental illness and approached the police with screwdrivers on both hands and the police could not contain him using rubber bullets and stun gun. When paramedics came to the scene, the police used their firearms and shot Coriolan killing him. This case is a true representation of how the police respond with partiality in scenarios of mental illness involving black people ( Hayle et al., 2016) .
In democratic states with a multicultural society, policing is a major hurdle, especially when the state-minorities relations become tensed and when the security concerns, imagined or real, make the tolerance towards minority groups to decline. The pressures can lead to mutual reinforcement between the police and the minority groups which may lead to the outbursts of violence ( Hayle et al., 2016) . Regardless of its necessity, police reforms are always lengthy and grueling processes when relating to the nature of the law reinforcement body and its operation modes. The structure of the police organization is such that it contains bureaucratic characteristics with paramilitary implications which categorized by a central command system, pyramid, sophisticated division of labor, the strict enforcement of formal laws without personification, and the rendering of services that are rational ( Ben-Porat, 2008) .
However, these organizations work in the context of politics because the function in a political environment and also their mandate is politically defined. Hence, the operation methods of the police change accordingly with regards to time and place so that they become a reflection of the society that they are carrying out the operation. The goals and design of the police body are formulated in such a way to meet the expectations and requirements of the elected officials, politicians, clients and any other person that is affected by their roles.
The changes in police organization in the 20th century made it a professional body, led to the formation of uniform standards and made it effective in combating crime. This was all in a bid to make the police force more accountable and predictable in its mode of operation. This reform made the police to be isolated from the society and even more, from the minority groups who felt that they are alienated. The mid-20th century saw several police organizations around the world democratic countries try to change their strategy to gain legitimacy from the communities and combat rising crimes. One of the reforms was to employ the model of “broken windows” which advocated for zero-tolerance on disorderly behavior ( Ben-Porat, 2008) .
They were to prevent the development of situations that would generate criminal acts by isolating problems in their early occurrences and by forming elimination strategies. As a result, the police were brought back to some communities and they were forced to focus on the external danger facing the society which enhanced their authority. This approach was applauded by the middle working class citizens but faced objections from the disadvantaged residents. In some countries like the United States, the strategy put emphasis on fighting crime rather than promoting welfare, thus making the minority groups be dangerous instead of disadvantaged ( Hayle et al., 2016) .
As a result, the approach led to the natural occurrence of the disastrous relations between policing and minority groups. It led to the suspicion of minority groups and consequently the disproportional amounts of arrests in neighborhoods that are dominated by these populations. The policies did not change the adverse perceptions about the police but served the clients, law-abiding citizens, who had the same notion of public order as the police (Closs & McKenna, 2006). Accordingly, the troublemakers, marginalized, and racially and ethnically diverse groups were alienated.
Results
In fast-changing countries or those that are highly diversifying, the organization is aligned or may be perceived to be accustomed to the old, ethnic, economic, and cultural guard. The notion that the police were to take part and recognize the changing culture of multiculturalism needed them to broaden their duties from exclusively maintaining order to engaging them in problem-solving and conflict resolution. They were also required to provide services that heal the link between communities-policing relations. The model thus seeks to assess the culture, history, and current needs of the minorities and also the methodology for operation of the police with regards to these groups. Thus, in the turn of 20th Century, the main problem of policing was to achieve legitimacy and credibility and the support of the minorities who feel alienated from the police.
Discussion
Engaging Multiculturalism
The conflict between the police and the minority groups is defined by over-policing and under-policing that when used separately or combined lead to the lack of legitimacy among the marginalized. The former refers to the mistreatment of the minorities by the law enforcers, either by discriminatory actions such as paramount used of “stop-and-search,” or the excessive use of force towards the minority groups ( Ben-Porat, 2008) . It leads to racial profiling as the police take advantage of the negative attitudes towards this population to turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. Therefore, there is a connection over-policing and social disadvantage which are reinforced by selective enforcement of the law which is stimulated by the by discriminatory stereotyping.
Under-policing is chiefly the neglect of policing in the needs of minority-dominated neighborhoods. For instance, the racial harassment complaints of attack by racists on minorities can be ignored by the police or not pursued with the required seriousness. It is also characterized by the lack of police in the minority neighborhoods which are always overlooked as being “hopeless ( Hayle et al., 2016) .” The main response that the police can do to such places is when containing crime instead of making it safe for the residents. This makes the poor communities living in urban areas experience unresponsive policing and increased crime rates. A significant number of individuals suffer both over-policing and under-policing. They are faced with the increased crime rates in their neighborhoods and are also exposed to suspicion thus frequently stopped and checked.
Consequently, these minorities may have a reduced level of trust on the police and can be reluctant to cooperate during operations (Closs & McKenna, 2006). There are therefore recommendations to fix the relations between the police and the marginalized groups. They fall into six categories: human resources diversification, inclusion of representatives from minority groups in the police governing bodies, cooperation between the police and the minority groups, review and reform on the operation practices that increase the likelihood of systemic discrimination, formulate policies of anti-racism in the police force, and offer training that is sensitive of culture ( Ben-Porat, 2008) .
However, the recommendations can be broadly categorized into three crucial areas that effectively tackle the issue of under-policing and over-policing. They include relations between police and communities, reforms to police practices, and the patterns of recruitment and training of officers. This is done in the light of the fact that the police force does not represent a society or is not homogenous in terms of class, gender, and ethnicity. Hence, it tends to respond in ways that are predictable to situations due to their common training, interests, and heritage. The case of Canada saw the old policing services as being composed mostly of white males. It had problems of dealing with the rapidly changing Canadian society.
The Canadian Context
Canada adopted the concept of multiculturalism in 1971 and formalized it in the multiculturalism act of 1985. Through this, the government stated that its mandate is to "recognize and promote the understanding that multiculturalism reflects the cultural and racial diversity of Canadian society and acknowledges the freedom of all members of Canadian society to preserve, enhance and share their cultural heritage." This policy had four goals; to promote exchange and meeting among groups of different cultures, to support the cultural prosperity of ethnocultural communities, to assist the new immigrants acquire at least one of the official languages in Canada, and to allow the full participation of the diverse culture in the Canadian society. Thus, the multicultural policy incorporates effort from all level of governance, municipal, provincial and federal, to the diversity of culture for the accommodation of the needs of various groups hence providing public services that are culturally sensitive.
The debates on how to improve the police departments in Canada began in the 1980s in a bid to mend their image among the minority groups and dissatisfied constituents. The organization of Canadian police came under fire for the under-representation of minorities, militaristic structure and subculture, alienation from their clients, insensitivity and stereotypes, discrimination, and insufficient procedures to tackle the grievances of police mistreatment to victims ( Hayle et al., 2016) . Before, the police could ignore the complaints of aboriginals and ethnic minorities as a result of their comparatively small numbers. However, the wake of globalization led to flooding of Canada and other Western countries with non-Western immigrants required a new approach. Some described the immigration as a “demographic revolution (Ben-Porat, 2008)” as refugees and immigrants from developing countries came to Canada with all their expectations, perceptions, and experiences thus creating a new source of pressure.
Dealing with the culturally diverse society was difficult as there were new coping demands. International events such as the September 11 attacks in the United States were a true reminder for the need of reforms and adaptation to diversity and multiculturalism. After the incidents, the youth from Muslim communities complained of harassment by the police while the police also realized their limited ability to engage with the communities. The Canadian police hence decided to reach out to all the multicultural communities as the matters of national security required the input of every citizen ( Whitelaw et al., 2014) . Also, they decided to compete for human resources from the minority groups as there was the expectation of mass retirement in the years to come. Therefore, diversity, multiculturalism, and multinationalism would be an important factor in police organization and also in the communities they serve.
Canadian policing would, therefore, have business reasons to the need of addressing diversity as seen in the private sector, which is a competing force for the labor force. The police in Canada have been on the frontline to engage the changing social make-up. It does this through the broad range of contacts with people and communities that needs adaptability and open-mindedness. However, some groups claim that the police are yet to achieve this engagement as they state the negative perceptions of Canadian policing. The racial minority communities have always complained of over-policing of their communities, discrimination in the police practices, and misrepresentation within the police body (Closs & McKenna, 2006). In some cases, the immigrants are suspected based on the perceptions and experiences in their home country where it can be associated with corruption, arbitrary use of power, and oppressive regimes.
The youth, especially of African descent, are also stereotyped for the possession of guns, drugs, or suspicious activities thus making them experience more police stops ( Hayle et al., 2016) . Also, there is another source of struggle between the minority groups and the state and the police are called to intervene and control the crowd in bids to restore order. For instance, the aboriginals fight the state through legal, political and extra-legal ways to repossess their lands, recognition, and social rights. The struggles may escalate to confrontations and thus the police are taken to the forefront. The aboriginals and minority communities are in most cases economically, socially, and politically disadvantaged and alienated. They suffer from high unemployment, less education and therefore are overrepresented in most forms of the justice system. In the end, the police are called to square the fruits of economic, social, and political injustices.
The negative sentiments about the police from the minorities and aboriginals led to broad criticism of the organization. The operations of the police fell short of the expectations of the communities. Of great importance is the way the police reacted to these claims. The Canadian law enforcers accepted their flaws in operations. This was not done as a face value but the officials and policymakers saw the need for reforms.
The authority has thus implemented various strategies to address the grievances of the population ( Whitelaw et al., 2014) . On the one hand, the Canadian police reforms are as a result of the criticism the organization faced and charges against insensitivity or discrimination. On the other hand, the changes are as a result of the feeling and growing experimentation that community outreach and cultural sensitivity can be a better way of reforming the police force. If the diversity is implemented in the police reforms, the authority seeks to put an end to the over-policing and under-policing and creating an acceptable police organization that every community is confident about.
One of the means to reform is through recruitment, retention, and training of police officers. In multicultural societies, the employment has to be done in a manner that reflects the social fabric at large. But, there are concerns about the practicality of such an initiative that include the academic levels of minorities and immigrants and the aspects of attitudes from both parties. Lowering the standards for the marginalized group applicants can spark concerns in sectors within the police, which is often a subject of bias. On the other hand, the minorities may disregard policing and view the career without the respect it deserves. In some extreme cases, they may view those who join as traitors. The attitudes make the force to ask important questions on approachability, recruitment goals, and measurement of the aims as well as the roles the minorities can be assigned, the culture of policing towards minority recruits, and the potential for promotion and retention.
Reforming policing practices is another means of achieving the goals of policing. It is aimed at reducing the cases of police discrimination towards a specific group thus consequently controlling over-policing. Therefore, the organization can implement programs that are meant to increase the trust of the disadvantaged groups and show the gap between the commitment of the officials to multiculturalism and the actual conduct of the officers in the neighborhoods. Such programs would also be possible to hold accountable the officers who misbehave.
Finally, involvement and oversight is also another reform that the Canadian policing is keen on implementing. This involves the interaction between the police and the public as their (police) expectations on the minority groups are also influential in policymaking. One of the most used programs on Canada is community policing which has five primary principles ( Whitelaw et al., 2014) : Cultural sensitivity which makes police attentive to the specific needs, empowerment which aims at decentralization to enhance access to police services, partnership perspective that encourages interdependence and interaction between the police and public, and preventive and proactive approach which aims at dealing with problems before they occur.
Conclusion
Policing in a society that is largely diverse has proved to be a controversial issue and leads to a social outcry. The actions of the police make some individuals feel alienated and marginalized. The police hold some stereotypes towards some minority groups and thus creating mistrust between them and the community and bad attitude. The criticisms have led to the Canadian police to accept the flaws in operations as they seek to adapt to multiculturalism and diversity. It thus plans to implement some strategies to mend the rift with public and restore the legitimacy of the police force.
References
Ben-Porat, G. (2008). Policing multicultural states: Lessons from the Canadian model. Policing & Society , 18 (4), 411-425.
Closs, W. J. & McKenna P.F. (2006). "Profiling a problem in Canadian police leadership: the Kingston Police data collection project." In Canadian Public Administration, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer 2006), 143-160.
Hayle, S., Wortley, S., & Tanner, J. (2016). Race, street life, and policing: Implications for racial profiling. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice , 58 (3), 322-353.
Rukavina, S. (2018, February 07). Family of Montreal man fatally shot by police sues over 'brutal' intervention. Retrieved March 12, 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-video-police-shooting-rcmp-coriolan-1.4523348
Whitelaw, B., Parent, R. B., & Griffiths, C. T. (2014). Community-based strategic policing in Canada . Nelson Education.
