The Vancouver Police Department has released its latest Public Safety Indicator report, which suggests a massive increase in reported anti-Asian hate crimes.
The Public Safety Indicator (PSI) covers the latest trends in crime in Vancouver, including violent crime, property crime, cybercrime, and apprehensions under the Mental Health Act.
It also covers calls for service, response times and traffic incidents with injuries reported to ICBC, and traffic fatalities.
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Looking specifically at anti-Asian hate crimes, Vancouver police say there was a six-fold increase year-to-date in 2022, relative to the three-year average preceding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite efforts by the VPD to increase community awareness and facilitate the reporting of hate crimes, VPD statistics under-estimate the true extent of the problem.”
According to the report, Asian victims are less likely to report victimization to the police than other victims, an idea supported by academic research.
The PSI also suggests that there has been a significant increase in graffiti in Chinatown.
Between 2019 and 2021, there was a 296% increase, including defaced murals, statues, and racist graffiti on businesses. A notable example was when a Chinatown mural being defaced was caught on camera.
“Recent high-profile hate-motivated assaults have only highlighted this problem, and the VPD is actively pursuing initiatives to address anti-Asian hate crime and graffiti issues around Chinatown.”
One of the more recent cases of anti-Asian hate crime includes a case where a 93-year-old man was pushed to the ground and broke his hip. Earlier this year, an 87-year-old was attacked in Chinatown, and the attack appeared racially motivated.
The PSI also revealed that violent crimes in Vancouver increased by 6.7% year-to-date, from 4,440 in the first nine months of 2021, to 4,739 in 2022.