MONTREAL – A hate crimes and incidents unit has been created within the Montreal police force, the first of its kind in Quebec, Mayor Denis Coderre announced May 25, along with police chief Philippe Pichet.
The unit, to which three officers are being initially assigned, differs from other such units in Canada in that its focus is on prevention and supporting the victims of such crimes and incidents, Coderre said.
Although it had no dedicated hate crimes unit, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) has for many years taken into account the suspected hateful character of crimes. The new unit will not only offer enhanced investigation of such crimes, but will also be documenting and analyzing non-criminal incidents in its territory as well, Pichet underlined.
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With this kind of data, the SPVM will be better able to assign resources, for example, to certain neighbourhoods where there is a pattern of such incidents. The SPVM serves the entire Island of Montreal.
Pichet said the force handles about 70 to 80 suspected hate crimes a year, the majority of them directed at property.
The police will treat an incident as hateful if it affects “the sense of security” of any person or identifiable group based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation or disability – whether real or perceived as such by the victim.
“The unit will be a unique portal that is going to assure full treatment of each event,” said Pichet. “Subsequently, the team is going to accompany and support citizens and communities touched by these events and whose sense of security is affected.”
Pichet said the unit hopes to work with community and civil society organizations in educating the public about this issue.
Coderre, who has been committed to the creation of such a unit since he was elected in 2013, said this measure is in keeping with his administration’s principle of “Vivre ensemble” (living together) – ensuring that each citizen feels welcome and safe in Montreal.
“I will never compromise on that, and that’s the reason why we must remain vigilant,” Coderre said, while finding “a balance with openness.”
Coderre said no limit has been set for the amount of resources that will be expended on fighting hate crimes and incidents.
The approach being taken is in part an outcome of a conference on combating anti-Semitism that Coderre convened with leaders of the Montreal and French Jewish communities a year ago.
“We can no longer close our eyes and say these are isolated incidents. We must identify and denounce each act, whether it happens on the street, in schools, in places of worship or the Internet,” he said.
The news was hailed by Moise Moghrabi, a lawyer and Quebec chair of B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights.
“We’ve been lobbying for this for at least 20 years,” he told The CJN. “This means that if someone calls me a ‘filthy Jew,’ I can report it to the police. I couldn’t do that in the past because it isn’t a crime, but it is something that scare me. If the police find a pattern to such incidents, they can assign more resources to the area and maybe prevent them.”
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Moghrabi said the police have always done a commendable job investigating serious anti-Semitic crimes, usually apprehending the perpetrators. The new unit will only enhance that capability, he believes.
The public can report hate crimes and incidents at any time through the SPVM website or by calling 514-280-2222.
If appropriate, members of the public can also notify the city’s centre for the prevention of violent radicalism, established last year, through its site, www.info-radical.org or by phone, 514-687-7141 (in the Montreal area) or, in the rest of the province, 1-877-687-7141.
The hate unit is working in partnership with that centre.
