Peel Regional Police has chosen its new chief.

Halton Deputy Chief of District Operations Nishan (Nish) Duraiappah has been selected as the incoming Chief of Peel Regional Police. He will assume his role effective Oct. 1.

Duraiappah has an extensive record with the Halton Regional Police Service, where he served as deputy chief since 2015. He has served in law enforcement for nearly 25 years in a number of roles, including regional drug and mortality bureau, the guns and gangs unit, and district criminal investigations.

He’s also worked with federal counterparts on the RCMP Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, and served as the Halton Police Diversity and Cultural Relations co-ordinator.

“Deputy Chief Duraiappah represents the next generation of leadership for the police service,” said Peel Police Service Board chair Nando Iannicca. “The community we all serve expects nothing less than the highest degree of duty and integrity — the very qualities we saw in Deputy Chief Duraiappah during the hiring process.”

The board spent seven months interviewing several candidates for the position. Duraiappah is now the second police chief in Peel Region to be hired externally.

“It’s truly an honour to serve the over 3,000 members of the Peel Regional Police Service as their chief,” Duraiappah said. “As a team, we look forward to serving this remarkable and diverse community for many years to come.”

Interim chief Chris McCord was thanked by the board for his work during the hiring process. McCord will remain on the force as deputy chief.

