Hina Kalyal, Research Analyst at London Police Service, “Canadian society is based on the idea of integration, and I don’t have to surrender my cultural identity or faith in order to be accepted”

Hina Kalyal’s mild and unassuming demeanour masks an incredibly talented lecturer, respected and internationally recognized authority, and published author in the field of Organizational Behaviour with a focus on evidence-based policing practices.  She has had an illustrious career in industry and academia spanning over 25 years.  It has taken her from her native Pakistan to Sweden, USA, Saudi Arabia and Canada. 

Hina received her first PhD in Business Administration from NUST Business School, Pakistan and was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship in 2012 where she completed her postdoctoral studies under the world-renowned authority on police organizations, Professor Stephen Mastrofski. This was followed in 2015 by her second PhD in Sociology at Western University, where she received the Ontario Trillium Scholarship, a provincially funded initiative to attract top international students to Ontario for PhD studies. She finished her PhD in 3.5 years, a new record for the department and she received the Canadian Sociological Association’s Outstanding Graduating Student award for it.

The decision to seek Canada as a permanent home was led in part by the deterioration in security in her native Pakistan, especially with schools being targeted and the desire to continue her studies in her chosen field.  The decision was helped by the fact that she has family in Canada.  “Since we had visited Canada a couple of times prior to moving here, we were familiar with the culture and had a good sense of what to expect.” says Hina.  She continues, “and the PhD accommodation at Western University offered a safe and familial environment.”
 
Hina was a business school professor before coming to Canada and there were challenges in doing a PhD as a mature student, adjusting to a different style of learning and an entirely different discipline.  “My mentor Prof. Laura Huey guided and supported me through the program,” adds Hina.
 
“All immigrants should look for volunteering opportunities as that is the best way to connect with the wider community. I was introduced to the LMLIP by a friend and now this volunteer group is an extension of my family,” says Hina, as she reflects on what it means to be an immigrant in Canada. She says, “Canadian society is based on the idea of integration, and I don’t have to surrender my cultural identity or faith in order to be accepted. I have always felt safe and respected in Canada. Open communication is the key to effective integration in my view.” 

Hina firmly believes that Canadians pride themselves on their multi-culturalism and immigrants must play their part in ensuring that they actively integrate into the society. “I would like people of various faiths, especially the Muslim community to know that isolated incidents such as the Afzaal family tragedy do not define  Canadian society,” she says. 

Hina is currently employed as a Research Planner Analyst at London Police Service, where she is focused on police organization based on evidence-based policing and community policing.  In addition, Hina is a lecturer at Western University, Kings College University, Huron University and part-time faculty at the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business, Fanshawe College.
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Hina is proud to be one of the few Pakistani Muslims to represent her community at the London Police Service and to be recognized for her work within the organization. “I couldn’t have chosen a better and more caring organization to work with,” she says, “here I am considered a part of the “family.””  She sees her work with the London Police Service where she is tasked with establishing a harmonious relationship between the police and community they serve as vital to the betterment of the London and Canadian community.
 

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