Religious Literacy Training for Police Services
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Officers encounter religious diversity every shift — in homes, at scenes, in interviews, on patrol. Missteps around religious practice can trigger complaints, damage community trust, or draw scrutiny from a human rights tribunal or inquest. Encounter gives police services the religious literacy to handle these situations with confidence and respect.
We've trained officers at Peel Regional Police, the OPP, and Halton Regional Police, amongst others.
CREDIBILITY STRIP
“The world religions programme was an incredible experience and beneficial both personally and professionally. I would recommend all officers invest in such a programme. The knowledge gained can be applied immediately upon return to the front line or specialty bureaus in law enforcement.”
Law Enforcement Officer, Peel Police
How This Differs From General Diversity Training
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Many services already run general diversity or cultural competence training. Religious literacy is a distinct discipline: it's specific to religious practice, belief, and law, not a broader diversity curriculum. Our training is built and taught by a subject matter expert with a PhD in religion, and focuses on concrete, job-relevant scenarios rather than general awareness. It complements existing DEI training rather than duplicating it.
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Flagship: Three–Day Police Literacy Programme
Created specifically for police officers, this three-day programme gives your team a working understanding of the world's major religions – the kind that shows up on the job, not just in the classroom.
You will:
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Meet religious community leaders
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Engage with colleagues about best practices for connecting with diverse communities
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Tour houses of worship and learn about sacred spaces and traditions
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Learn how to handle sensitive police actions appropriately including: entering homes, conducting a search involving a covered woman, removing religious head coverings during arrest, kirpan possession, or handling a deceased person under Islamic or Jewish practice
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Take part in classes and discussions designed to build knowledge and comfort with religious practices and communities
Taught from a non-sectarian perspective this program helps you connect with colleagues, community members and friends who practice various religions.
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Religious Literacy for Police
One of our most popular presentations, making the case for why religious literacy matters for police.
Covers:
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What we mean by religious literacy
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Why it's especially important for police services and law enforcement in Canada
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How Canadian understandings of religion (the "Western lens") can distort how non-European traditions are read
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Examples of literacy and illiteracy on the job
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Practical steps forward with colleagues and the community
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Tradition-Specific Training
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Focused training on the traditions, culture, and history of Canada's major religious communities — Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and others. Services can select the traditions most relevant to their team and community.
Covers:
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A working overview of the tradition
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Visual cues to help identify a person's religion accurately
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How to facilitate respectful interactions that build trust
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Handling sensitive police actions appropriately including prayer accommodation in custody, entering a mosque or temple, or respectful handling of religious articles seized as evidence
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Building stronger community relations with these traditions
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Making the workplace more welcoming for minority officers, supporting retention and recruitment
Site Visits
Visiting a place of worship is one of the most valuable ways to learn about a tradition and its community. We facilitate local tours or visits to larger centres, best paired with some pre-learning earlier in the day or on a separate day.
Site visits:
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Build comfort and confidence entering a place of worship, often a new experience for officers
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Create space for real conversation with a community leader — their needs, and officers' questions
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Build familiarity with religious items and visual cues that help officers do their jobs with more skill
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Let officers observe rituals and learn about important celebrations firsthand
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Customized Training
We tailor training to the specific needs of a police service — combining any of the above elements or building unit-specific content. Past examples include training for Victim Services units on comforting grievers appropriately, respectful and compassionate handling of the deceased, and the religious and cultural nuances of intimate partner violence.
Understanding the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
We've also delivered sessions on specific, high-sensitivity topics on request — for example, a briefing on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for services whose officers needed a balanced grounding in its origins, how different sides read the same historical events, how it affects Canadians with ties to the conflict, and the key slogans and language in play. If your service has a specific, sensitive, or fast-moving topic your officers need context on, we can build a session for it.
TESTIMONIALS
“This is one of the best courses I've taken. Brian is an eloquent presenter and I most appreciated his non-judgemental approach. He's clearly a leader in this area and an excellent presenter. I'm grateful this was offered because what I learned will directly inform both my personal and professional lives.”
Law Enforcement Officer, OPP
“I had the opportunity to take the course in Summer 2022 and it gave me a newfound appreciation of the impact religions have on our daily lives. Brian is a wealth of knowledge and his lectures were easily digestible.”
Law Enforcement Officer, Niagara Police
Who's Teaching
Brian Carwana has a PhD in religion and politics from the University of Toronto and is an occasional lecturer at the university. He is the subject matter expert for religious literacy for the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and has been interviewed by the CBC on multiple occasions. He has been a keynote speaker for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and worked with officers and units for over the past decade.
Ready to bring religious literacy training to your service?
Book a conversation — no pressure, just a chance to talk through what would work for your team.