TORONTO POLICE report shows hate crime is on the rise in the city targeting certain groups.
OFFICERS investigating an alleged hate crime in our city.
Toronto Police say there was a 51 per cent increase in the number of reported hate crimes for 2020, with global events as the pandemic having a large effect.
Police in their annual 2020 Annual Hate Crime Statistical Report Findings said there were 139 cases of hate crimes in 2019 and 210 in 2020.
The statistics show there were three hate crimes against Asian Chinese in 2019 and that rose to 15 in 2020. There were 13 anti-Black hate crimes in 2019 and that rocketed to 43 in 2020, according to police.
In addition, there were eight hate crimes committed online as compared to 21 in 2020.
The study shows that in 2020, the Jewish community, followed by the Black community, LGBTQ2S+ and the Asian Chinese communities were the most frequently victimized groups.
“Mischief to property, assault and criminal harassment were the most commonly reported criminal offences motivated by hate,” the report stated.
“Hate crimes not only victimize an individual but also the entire group they identify with,” said Toronto Police Chief James Ramer. “We know this can have a long-lasting impact on the diverse communities we serve, resulting in increased isolation, stress and vulnerability.”
He said the service have taken steps to address this ‘concerning increase’ by expanding the capacity of its dedicated Hate Crime Unit.
“We remain committed to working within our Service and with our community partners, in a transparent and inclusive way, to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes,” Ramer said.
The force acknowledged that these crimes are often unreported and have taken part in various training, educational and community outreach initiatives to address this. This includes Town Halls, community consultative committees and the Neighbourhood Community Officer Program.
Community members are encouraged to report incidents of hate, prejudice and bias to police and work together with the Toronto Police Service to eliminate these crimes.
The data is based on hate crimes reported to the Toronto Police between January to December 2020.