TORONTO -- Hamilton police have launched an online tool to report hate crimes.

Deputy Chief Frank Bergen says the force has heard people want to report such crimes without needing to go to a police station.

He says hate crimes are under-reported.

Police say there were 92 hate and bias incidents reported to them in 2019.

Over the last 10 years there has been an average of 128 hate crimes reported to police per year.

The new tool on the Hamilton police website allows victims or their friends or family to file the report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 10, 2020.