Peel Regional Police have reviewed how they respond to situations involving individuals with autism following an incident that occurred in Mississauga earlier this month where a 19-year-old Syrian young man was tasered by officers.

In their first public statement about the incident, Peel Police acknowledged that what happened had a "profound impact" on Darwish, his family, and the community. They also added that the force’s senior leadership team met with Darwish’s family last week to discuss the incident.

While the details of the discussion were not disclosed, the police stated that they are "assessing how to identify and engage with individuals with autism constructively," adding: "We are currently consulting specialized experts to determine how we can better serve this community through increased collaboration and opportunities to enhance training."

Also according to the police, on the evening of November 4, officers responded to a call about a person "attempting to enter a vehicle and home." When they arrived, the officers, whom the police claimed did not know Darwish’s identity or condition at the time, tried to communicate with him, but were unsuccessful. The police confirmed that Darwish was later arrested after officers used a Conducted Energy Weapon (or TASER) against him. He was then taken to the hospital for treatment where he was released to his family.

Majid, Abdullah Darwish’s father, criticized the way the police handled the situation that left his son injured and traumatized. He told CP24 network that he felt like he was going to have a heart attack when he saw his son lying on the ground with a bloodied face on Friday evening.

Majid also stated that what the police did was unacceptable. In an interview on November 10, he said: "They know nothing about autism. They treat anyone in front of them like a criminal, and that's very dangerous." However, the police said the incident is under review now and “the overall circumstances are being examined.” They also informed Majid that he can file a complaint with the Independent Police Review Director’s Office.

In a Wednesday statement, the police also said they are exploring opportunities to timely access records of at-risk individuals and "innovative approaches to alert officers to the specific needs an individual may have."

In the same vein, Darwish was listed in the registry, which "allows caregivers and/or parents of at-risk individuals to provide critical information that emergency services will use during crisis situations." Among the information provided was a picture of the individual and "ways to deal with them if applicable."

But the police previously said the registry is "only effective" when they are alerted that someone is on it, which "was not the case" in the November 4 incident.

Majid said: "I thought when I came to Canada that the police would protect and help him if he ran away from my home, I never imagined they would do what they did."