Crime Stoppers Association of Edmonton and Northern Alberta is launching a citywide campaign to encourage Edmontonians to report hate.
The not-for-profit charitable organization is partnering with the Edmonton Police Service, with support from the Government of Alberta, to launch transit ads throughout the city encouraging Edmontonians to report hate crimes anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
“Every Albertan deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued. The Report Hate campaign will serve as an important reminder to Albertans that there is a safe and anonymous way to report incidents of hate, discrimination, and intolerance,” says Government of Alberta Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis.
Crime Stoppers Edmonton and Northern Alberta is a charitable not-for-profit organization that allows tipsters to anonymously report information about crimes or suspicious behavior by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
“When you report to Crime Stoppers, it is 100% anonymous,” says Chris Holtz, President of the Edmonton and Northern Alberta Crime Stoppers Chapter. “We will never ask for any personal or identifying information, we don’t have call trace, caller ID, or use any voice recognition or tracking systems, and you will never be asked to appear in court or talk to lawyers or police. You are the eyes and ears in the community when police are not around, and we want to hear what you have to say.”
The Crime Stoppers campaign aims to encourage Edmontonians who may not otherwise feel comfortable reporting hate to submit their anonymous tips.
“A hate crime is a criminal offense that is motivated by hate bias or prejudice towards an identifiable group based on real or perceived color, race, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual identity, gender identity or expression, or any other similar factor,” says Edmonton Police Service Deputy Chief Devin Laforce.
“Hate incidents are actions that are defined by the same criteria as a hate crime. But while they may be offensive, they're not criminal as defined by the Criminal Code of Canada. An example of a hate incident could include the uttering of racial slurs or comments that we all recognize as unacceptable, but nevertheless, they're not criminal. However, it's still important for our investigators to track hate incidents, even if we can't lay charges.”
Hate crimes can be reported to police by calling the non-emergency line at 780-423-4567. In an emergency, including crimes in progress, call 9-1-1.
Hate incidents can be reported online using the online reporting tool.
For more information about hate crimes, hate incidents, and how to report them, please visit the EPS website.