Chief urges hate crimes vigilance as Service releases data

Toronto Police has made 130 arrests and laid 314 hate crime occurrence-related charges since October 7.

“Investigations continue on reported occurrences and communities will continue to see our visible uniform presence,” Chief Myron Demkiw said at the Toronto Police Service Board meeting on July 31.

In the last 10 months, police have attended 1,556 suspected hate crime calls for service which is an average of 156 calls monthly.

Last month, they attended 171 hate crime calls.

“In July, we saw an over 30 per cent decrease with 113 calls as of July 27th,” said Demkiw. “While this decrease is welcomed, I do want to acknowledge that just this past week, we have been reminded about the terrible impact these occurrences can have on our communities. I want to assure our communities again that the Toronto Police fully investigates every reported incident in an effort to hold those responsible accountable.”

Anti-Semitism accounts for more reported hate crimes than any other category.

Of the 273 hate crimes so far this year, 45 per cent were anti-Semitic. The most common charges are mischief, assault and uttering threats.

Hate crime occurrences are up 55 per cent over the same period last year.

On July 28, police responded to a fire at Leo Baeck Day School. It originated in an exterior storage shed that was used by an under-housed individual for shelter.

The fire and heat resulted in damage to the shed and a school window.

The Hate Crime Unit was consulted and there is no evidence at this time to suggest the incident was motivated by hate. The investigation is ongoing.

The Service has released all hate crime data from 2018 to 2023 on its Public Safety Data Portal.

Extracted from the annual hate crimes statistical reports, the data represents verified hate crimes as determined by the Hate Crime Unit.

“The data is provided on a new dedicated Hate Crime Dashboard and as a downloadable open dataset to ensure access and visibility,” said Deputy Chief Rob Johnson. “While the data is currently released annually, the Service aims to increase the frequency of updates on the data portal. In doing so, we are promoting transparency in hate crime data and trends to ensure we work collaboratively and promote honest conversations about what strategies we needed to keep out communities safe.”

Prior to launching the hate crime dashboard, Toronto Police met with various Community Consultative Committees representing diverse groups across the city to get their feedback and to ensure the data being provided is what communities are seeking.

“The under-reporting of hate crimes continues to be a challenge and in addition to the dashboard, we have initiated a hate crime video series, a hate-motivated graffiti intake form and a hate crime awareness campaign in collaboration with Crime Stoppers, all in an effort to increase awareness about hate crimes and encourage reporting to police,” added Johnson.