Denunciation of Hate Crimes | The SPVM admits that it will have to do better

The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) recognizes that it will have to “improve” in the denunciation of hate crimes, by offering more tools to victims who want to file a complaint. Despite an increase in reporting over the past year, very few of these crimes are still reported to the authorities.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“It’s kind of the sinews of war in general, to let people know that hate incidents are being investigated. To know that hate crimes are something that can be denounced is already a very complex element in itself,” explained agent Marc Bellerose, of the Hateful Incidents and Crimes Module (MICH), on Tuesday during a meeting of the City’s Public Security Commission.

At the end of October, the official opposition in Montreal deplored that only a tiny proportion of crimes and incidents are reported to the police, deploring in passing that online hate incidents are not compiled by the SPVM.

“Social isolation and the strong influence of social networks have favored the multiplication of hateful acts, among others towards cultural communities. At the same time, the judicial system and police intervention have not adapted to this reality. There are many structural brakes. You have to give yourself tools, ”said city councilor Sonny Moroz at the time.

An idea of ​​the reports received

So far in 2022, Montreal police say they have received just over 200 reports related to hate crimes, and less than 100 for hate incidents. This is a slight increase in the first case and a decrease in the second. “We can always improve in that sense, and that’s one of the things we’re working on a lot. We are part of six groups, both police and civilians, who work in this area, ”assured Mr. Bellerose, stressing that academic research is also being done.

He affirms that the police force “has put a lot of emphasis in recent years, and especially in recent months, on social networks”, in order to encourage victims to report. “There, we also have eight presentations coming to schools, because we know that children are vectors of transmission to their parents,” he insisted.

“For the future, it’s really to look at how we can disseminate information,” continued Agent Bellerose, referring to the development of new “tools” to increase the number of reports. “We have to encourage people to denounce and offer help in this regard. […] It’s a long process. It’s not something we’ll do overnight, but it’s very important to us, and we’ve been putting a lot of energy into it lately,” he added.

In his eyes, the recipe is simple: “The more it will be known [qu’il est possible de dénoncer], the more people tend to do it, the more cases there will be reported, and the more precise we will be able to be. “And if people don’t want to talk to us directly, they can always go to an organization for support. At the CAVAC, in particular, you can have service even in the absence of a police report, ”he recalled.

Also at the commission, the SPVM commander of the section specializing in domestic violence, Anouk St-Onge, said she was very aware “that for victims of fear for the person, it can be intimidating to enter a neighborhood police station”. . “I just want to tell you that the police will listen to you, take your report, and you will be accompanied. Yes, you will be heard, ”she assured.