A new province-wide effort by RCMP to encourage citizens to report hate crimes and hate incidents is good news for the community-at-large.
And while the effort won’t completely eliminate hate-motivated disturbances, it is an important step in addressing an issue that affects the safety and security of everyone.
As recent hate-motivated violence in the U.S. has clearly shown, intolerance can have far-reaching and dangerous impacts.
Alberta RCMP say in 2021, officers will be encouraging a partnership between police and citizens to maximize cultural awareness of hate crimes and hate incidents.
“RCMP detachments across Alberta are collaborating with community leaders to increase tolerance and promote peaceful conflict resolution among community members,” officials said. “Our goal is to provide an improved police service delivery to Albertans and an educational approach in relation to these crimes.
“This partnership between police and citizens will maximize cultural awareness to better communicate and work with our citizens of diverse backgrounds. The Alberta RCMP are collaborating with community leaders to increase tolerance and promote peaceful conflict resolution among community members.”
According to RCMP, hate incidents involve behaviour that is motivated by bias against a person’s race, religion, ethnic/national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.
Hate incidents become hate crimes when they are motivated by hate to commit violence against persons or property, or if a potential victim is in reasonable fear of physical injury.
“Police can help to defuse potentially serious situations and prevent bias-motivated criminal behaviour by responding to and documenting bias-motivated speech or behaviour even if it does not rise to the level of a criminal offence.”
The Black Lives Matter and anti-racism rallies held in Alberta last summer saw speaker after speaker recall horrific tales of intolerance and racism committed across this province. The stories were both shocking and deeply troubling.
Hopefully this new RCMP initiative will compel those individuals and groups who think hate has a place in Alberta to think again.
Anyone witnessing a hate incident or hate crime, should call 911 or a local RCMP detachment.
Dan Singleton is an editor with The Albertan.
