BC RCMP: BC Hate Crime Unit marks one year of expanded team

THE BC Hate Crime Unit (BCHCU) is reflecting on a milestone as February 2026 marked one year since the team expanded from a team of two to an eight person provincial unit supporting communities and policing agencies across BC.

Now fully staffed with seven police officers and one tactical crime analyst, the BCHCU is seeing the positive impact of that growth through increased investigative support and training.

In the past year, the unit has gone from reviewing approximately 140 files a month to 140 files each week. This increase is largely due to the enhancement of proactive database searches of police files from across BC that may include elements of hate, prejudice, or bias.  Direct requests from police officers to BCHCU for investigational support and resources have also increased, partly due to expanded hate crime training leading to better understanding for responding officers.

“Having a larger team has allowed us to be more strategic and proactive than ever before when it comes to hate crimes and hate incidents,” said Superintendent Sanjaya Wijayakoon with the BC RCMP Major Crime Unit. “The expanded capacity and addition of an analyst is bringing a new level of focus and attention to files that may require a higher level of scrutiny, a specialized perspective, or additional guidance as an investigation moves forward. This growth has helped make our team a national policing leader on hate crimes.”

The BCHCU, which is the only provincial hate crime team in Canada, is available as a resource to all police agencies in BC and also conducts its own investigations into incidents that occur both in person and online. The recent growth of the team, which was established in 1996, was made possible through an investment from the Province of British Columbia.

A significant development for the team has been enhancing training and outreach initiatives with police and community and faith-based organizations. In the past year it’s estimated the BCHCU reached 1,550 people through more than 60 educational presentations and nearly 40 consultations with policing and community partners.

In 2025, the BCHCU offered recommendations to investigators in 171 files regarding the potential consideration of hate, prejudice, or bias motivation as an aggravating factor during sentencing when suspects were convicted of a substantive offence, such as threats, assaults or mischief.

“These types of investigations can be nuanced and complex for police, but we understand they are deeply impactful for victims and communities,” said Sgt. Elvis Musinovic, who leads the BCHCU. “I am really proud of the work we are doing, including the relationships we have been building with community groups and policing partners over the past year. Speaking with our community has also helped us develop best practices, and created better understanding of how police response impacts victims.”

The most recent annual data from Statistics Canada indicates the number of hate crimes reported to police in Canada rose slightly between 2023 and 2024, with victims most commonly reporting they were targeted for their race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.

“Hate can spread rapidly through individuals and organised groups, across borders and online platforms. We continue to see how geopolitical unrest abroad can quickly manifest in incidents here at home,” Musinovic said. “With our expanded unit, we are better positioned to identify, monitor and respond to emerging trends involving hate and prejudice. That includes enhanced investigative capacity, intelligence coordination, and proactive education and outreach. Public reporting remains crucial, as every report helps us assess risk, allocate resources and protect our communities.”