‘Who are the offenders?’: Police board seeks data on hate crime perpetrators
Hate crimes aim to intimidate, terrorize, and sometimes kill Londoners— and they’re on the rise.
On Thursday, the London Police Services Board (LPSB) meeting was dominated by a discussion about the two-year spike in hate crimes and hate incidents reported to police.
“Who are the offenders?” asked Councillor Jesse Helmer.
He recommended future reports include demographic data about those charged with hate crimes in order to identify where proactive steps should be targeted.
Police Chief Steve Williams said the majority of those charged are young white men and youths.
“Historically, communities of colour felt white supremacy extremism was not taken as seriously as other forms of terrorism, and hopefully that’s changing,” said Police Board Chair Susan Toth.
The board also requested that gender-based data be provided in future reports to reflect that targeted violence against women is also a form of hate.
In 2021, the number of hate crimes and hate incidents reported in London climbed 57 per cent— 146 occurrences.
This troubling trend began in 2020 with a 52 per cent increase (93 occurrences) over previous years which had averaged about 60.
Hate crimes and hate incidents reported to London Police (Courtesy: London Police Service)
“KKK was here, another bad symbol here,” described Ahmad Jawad as he showed the white fence on his property where racist and sexual graffiti was discovered on Wednesday.
Several street signs were also vandalized near his home on Hawthorne Road.
Jawad took it upon himself to clean it before children and neighbours were exposed to the hateful and sexual images.
“Everyone should take care of their community, that’s why I did it,” he told CTV News.
London Police are investigating the incident as the city’s latest hate crimes.
Deputy Chief Stuart Betts told the board that eliminating hate goes beyond the scope of local police, requiring an ongoing community-wide commitment.
“As hurtful as these occurrences are, the people of London continue to show their resilience and support to victims of such crimes,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated J&J cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.