Gagandeep Kaur Grewal’s appointment comes amid broader efforts to improve diversity in Canadian policing. Express PhotoGagandeep Kaur Grewal, from the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, has become the first Sikh woman to be appointed a sheriff in Alberta, Canada. Her appointment, widely welcomed across the Sikh diaspora, adds to a growing list of Sikh women entering policing and public safety roles in Canada over the past two decades.In Alberta, sheriffs serve as provincial peace officers, responsible for court security, prisoner transport, highway patrol, and security at major events.Their role is set to expand further under Bill 15, introduced in February 2026, which proposes the creation of an independent Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, opening pathways for sheriffs to transition into full policing roles.Grewal’s appointment comes amid broader efforts to improve diversity in Canadian policing. A key milestone was in 1991, when Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first turbaned Sikh to serve in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), following a national debate over uniform rules. The decision marked a turning point in accommodating religious identity within law enforcement.Today, women make up about 22 per cent of police personnel in Canada, while visible minorities account for roughly 8 per cent. Sikh communities, especially in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, have played a role in this shift, with Punjabi language skills and cultural familiarity seen as valuable in community policing.Among the early Sikh women to gain prominence in uniformed service was Corporal Rupinder Kaur of Surrey, British Columbia. In 2017, she joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after completing university training in Regina, Saskatchewan, and went on to serve in Richmond on general duty, later becoming a School Liaison Officer, a detective, and eventually a Corporal and Road Supervisor in Surrey.More recently, Constable Puneet Deol became the first South Asian female police officer in the Ottawa Police Service in October 2022. In October 2025, Rajbeer Kaur Brar, 35, also referred to as Rajbir Kaur, became Canada’s first turbaned woman constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.Story continues below this adOriginally from Thandewala village near Muktsar in Punjab, Rajbir Kaur holds a master’s degree in information technology from Chandigarh. She moved to Canada in 2016 after marriage, worked at Walmart, briefly served in the Canadian Army Reserve, and was later selected for RCMP. She is currently posted in Milestone, Saskatchewan.