Reporting a hate or bias incident in the community could help Peterborough become a safer and kinder place for all.
That’s one of the messages of the revamped N0H8 (pronounced “No Hate) public education and awareness campaign launched by the Peterborough Police Service in January.
Supported by a three-year Proceeds of Crime Grant from the Ontario government, the campaign is intended to raise awareness about what hate looks like, provide educational resources, encourage people to report hate or bias incidents, and reinforce that hate will not be tolerated in the community.
“From our analysis, Peterborough is a community that is willing to report these incidents and we want to see this continue, because then we will have a true picture of the impact these incidents have in our community,” says Chelsea Russelle, Community Development and Engagement Coordinator for the Peterborough Police Service.
“Hate has no place here. Name it. Report it. It is a strong call to action, but we also hope people see it as an opportunity to be kind or even start conversations.”
Over the past five years, an average of 46 hate/bias incidents were reported to the Peterborough Police Service each year, with more than half resulting in charges. Whether police lay charges depends on whether the incident involves a criminal offence.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, there are four offences specific to hate: advocating genocide, public incitement of hatred, wilful promotion of hatred, and wilful promotion of antisemitism. While police must consult with the Crown Attorney before any of these specific charges can be laid under the Criminal Code, they will record any crime that involves hate as a hate crime.
“If a criminal offence has been committed and there is evidence that it was motivated by race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, language, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, age, or mental or physical disability, it will be recorded as a hate crime and addressed through the court process which could result in a higher penalty at sentencing,” says Russelle.
A hate or bias incident can also involve actions or behaviours that are motivated by bias or prejudice but do not involve a criminal act. For example, if a neighbour makes an remark about a person’s race during an argument, but no criminal offence occurs, it is a hate incident. These incidents can and should be reported to police, Russelle says, as they can “reveal a pattern of behaviour.”
While reimagining the N0H8 public education and awareness campaign, the Peterborough Police Service connected with community partners to better understand the issues involving hate and bias in the Peterborough community. These partners included the City of Peterborough, New Canadians Centre, Race Relations Committee, and Peterborough Youth Services.
“We learned that each individual community has different views of hate and bias, and our partners are a great resource for making sure information is shared both ways — from the Peterborough Police Service to these communities, and from the communities back to the Peterborough Police Service,” says Russelle.
The N0H8 public education and awareness campaign is just one of the commitments made by the Peterborough Police Service to address hate locally. Training has been made available to members of the service, and there will soon be an online visual tool available to the public, which will provide a better understanding of how and where hate is manifesting in the community through maps and other graphing tools that depict stories about the incidents, as well as how they have affected the community.
“We are trying to show instances of hate and bias in our community through a lens of storytelling, while keeping the intimate details of each incident anonymous,” Russelle says. “We want to provide data from the past five years and shift the narrative from opinion-based comments to fact-based comments.”
Russelle notes that many hate or bias incidents either go unreported, or are posted on social media instead of being reported to the Peterborough Police Service. Without a report, police cannot investigate these incidents.
“There is a tendency to want to share these incidents on social media,” Russelle explains. “However, the police will not launch any investigation just because it is trending online — we don’t have people searching for crimes. There needs to be a reported crime.”
Reports can be made 24/7 through the online portal at www.peterboroughpolice.com/n0h8 or by calling 705-876-1122 ext. 225 (for emergencies, call 9-1-1).
The Peterborough Police Service does not accept reports made through social media platforms like Facebook.
If you witness or are the victim of a hate crime, the Peterborough Police Service suggests gathering as much information about the incident and perpetrator as possible. This could include what happened, where it happened, and what the perpetrator looked like, what they were wearing, and what vehicle they were driving.
Since launching the revamped N0H8 public education and awareness campaign, the Peterborough Police Service has received both positive and negative feedback about the campaign.
“The campaign is not about silencing people or telling people what they can and cannot say,” Russelle points out. “The laws have been the same around hate and hate bias since the 1970s. The purpose of this campaign is to bring awareness to what a hate crime or incident is, how you can report it to police, and how it is handled through our justice system.”
To support the N0H8 public education and awareness campaign, businesses and residents can display the N0H8 sticker in their window, share a message online with a link to the N0H8 resource page, or invite the Peterborough Police Service to community events by emailing Russelle at 935@peterboroughpolice.ca.
Schools are also encouraged to consider having a conversation about the campaign, inviting the Peterborough Police Service’s Community Services Officers to a class and learning how to report hate and bias incidents.
“We encourage everyone to start conversations, and if you hear something concerning, say something,” says Russelle. “Hate has no place here in our community.”
For more information about the N0H8 public education and awareness campaign, visit www.peterboroughpolice.com/n0h8.
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