For the first time in the last five years, the number of reported hate crimes in London, Ont., decreased last year, if only slightly, but the number of hate-motivated incidents has risen, hitting a high in 2022.
A report to the London Police Services Board presented Thursday shows 80 reported hate crimes and 83 reported hate incidents in London last year. That is compared to 83 hate crimes and 63 hate incidents in 2021.
Police define a hate crime as any criminal offence committed against a person or property perceived to be related to a subject’s real or perceived race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or any other similar factor.
While covering the same categories of a hate crime, a hate incident does not reach the level of a criminal act. The report states a hate incident can include, “hostile speech or other behaviours that may be motivated by bias but are not criminal in nature.”
The number of hate crimes and incidents has skyrocketed over the last few years; there has been a 186 per cent increase in hate-motivated crimes since 2018.
In 2022, the top five most frequently targeted victims were from the Black, LGBTQ2, Jewish, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities. These victims were targeted in 74 per cent of all reported occurrences (121 of 163).
Since 2019, members of the Black community have been the most frequently victimized, representing nearly a quarter of all occurrences. Their targeting in 2022 conveys a 19 per cent increase compared to 2021.
While the number of hate-motivated crimes in 2022 dropped slightly, the number of charges stemming from crimes dropped by almost 33 per cent, to 37 from 55.
Deputy Chief of Police Paul Reynolds, who presented the report, told the board there is no one reason why the number of charges is noticeably lower, adding that victim participation, the identification of a suspect, and the applicability of specific offences all play a part in how investigations proceed.
Speaking after the meeting, Reynolds said while it is always concerning to have any hate crimes or incidents, the increase in incidents is more likely due to people being more comfortable with reporting rather than more incidents occurring compared to five years ago.
The increased comfortability of reporting, Reynolds says, is due to a myriad of factors.
“We are doing more community outreach, working on continuing to increase our diversity and officers are continuing to reach out to members of the community, including new Londoners,” Reynolds told Global News.
The report to the board notes a significant hurdle in past years has been the historical relationships between new immigrants arriving in London not fully trusting the police service.
“The trust established by the Diversity Team with these community groups is growing steadily and has a direct impact on the confidence of the community members to report crimes and hate incidents in London,” reads part of the report. “As the team continues to develop these relationships … the reporting of incidents and crimes may increase and thus so should the LPS’s response and support.”
London police also has a dedicated hate crimes officer who personally follows up with each entity involved in a hate-related incident, said Reynolds.