Efforts to tackle systemic racism in the Peel Regional Police service will take time and lots of community engagement, the head of the Ontario Human Rights Commission says as dozens of recommendations to improve the force are reviewed.

The police force west of Toronto — which serves Mississauga and Brampton — committed nearly three years ago to a partnership with the human rights commission to examine and address what it acknowledged were existing and long-standing discriminatory practices within the service.

In June, the human rights commission released 64 initial recommendations after community consultation.

They include improving training through trauma-informed approaches that emphasize de-escalation, expanding civilian-led mental health crisis response, suggestions for better race-based data collection and acknowledging racial discrimination in policing.

Those recommendations are now being reviewed by an advisory committee made up of Peel Region residents from diverse backgrounds and will then be subject to further public consultation in the fall.