The Peel Regional Police Underwater Search and Recovery Unit was established in 1975. The unit was fully equipped by the organization and was assigned a 16-foot Boston Whaler dive boat. The Dive Unit, as it has become known, worked in tandem with the Marine Unit on Lake Ontario. The Dive Team assists other police services in the Greater Toronto Area that do not have dive teams within their organizations.
Much of the work of the Dive Team involves the recovery of drowned victims, stolen autos and property that has been dumped in rivers, lakes and swamps. The Unit also searches for weapons from robberies and homicides. On occasion, investigations necessitate diving under adverse conditions for weeks at a time.
Dive Unit members developed their own specialized search techniques, including a highly detailed reference manual for police divers. The manual became a cornerstone for other police services.