During a recent meeting of the police services board, Chief Bill Fordy expressed concern over a potential drop in reported hate crimes investigated by the Niagara Regional Police last year, suggesting it could stem from apathy within the community.
Fordy noted that many instances of hate go unreported to the police, often because individuals are unsure of what steps to take or lack confidence in the effectiveness of the system.
According to a report presented at the meeting, there were 30 suspected hate crimes investigated in 2023, resulting in three criminal charges, none of which were classified as hate crimes. This marks a decrease from the 41 suspected incidents and seven charges in 2022 but remains higher than figures from previous years, such as 2021 (21 incidents), 2020 (10 incidents), and 2019 (11 incidents).
While the report suggested that the decline could be attributed to a “better understanding and acceptance of the increasing diversity in the region,” board vice-chair Nyarayi Kapisavanhu raised the possibility that it might instead reflect people’s disillusionment with reporting hate crimes due to perceived inaction by authorities.
