Members of the London Police Service presented their 2023 Hate/Bias Motivated Crime Report at their latest board meeting.
There were a total number of 192 hate/bias motivated occurrences reported last year–an 18 per cent increase from 2022 and a 215 per cent increase from 2019.
While the numbers of reported hate crimes have increased, some members of the board think that it could be a sign of community members feeling more comfortable reporting crimes, as well as better funding and resources for the police.
“I see this as a positive,” says LPS Chief Thai Truong. “It is a very underreported crime, and we’re seeing marginalized groups report more and more.”
He says one of the main priorities of the LPS is gaining trust from the community, and one of the most important ways they can do that is through community engagement.
“From a proactive approach, the priorities of the organization are very focused on building these relationships within the community, and more importantly marginalized communities, and communities that typically haven’t been heard.”
The board’s vice-chair, Megan Walker, says she thinks the numbers will continue to rise as the LPS gets more resources to investigate these crimes.
The report was released to the public in early May, and while the total number of occurrences is listed as 192, these can be divided into two categories.
Of the total reports, 111 are classified as ‘crimes’ (criminal acts committed against a person or property) and 81 are classified as ‘incidents’ (falling short of criminal acts, but still considered to have a negative impact on both individuals and the community).
The report listed five communities who were the target of 81 per cent of all hate crimes and incidents:
- LGBTQ2+: 50
- Black: 26
- Muslim: 29
- Jewish: 26
- South Asian: 15
The LGBTQ2+ community is the victim of the majority of hate crime and incidents. Pride Month (June) had more reports than any other month, and 19 occurrences were directly related to gender diversity and inclusion.
In the wake of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the report also shows the number of occurrences before and after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas.
A rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia as a result of this conflict is shown clearly, with half of crimes and incidents committed against Jewish people as well as 62 per cent of those against Muslims taking place between Oct. 7 and Dec. 31.
The full report can be found here in the board meeting agenda.
