Increased police presence to continue in Jewish communities, other places of worship: TPS

A Toronto Police Services logo is shown at headquarters, in Toronto, on Friday, August 9, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Toronto Police Service (TPS) says there are no current credible threats to the city's Jewish communities, but residents should continue to see increased police presence.

In a statement, TPS said it is aware of what it referred to as "global online threats" circulating on Wednesday.

"The Service continuously monitors world events to assess how they may impact the safety and security of Toronto residents," TPS said.

"The Service is advising residents that there are currently no credible threats to Jewish communities in our city."

Toronto police noted that it increased patrols in Jewish cultural centres and synagogues as well as other places of worship across the city in the wake of the deadly attack by the Hamas militant group on Israel.

"People can expect to see a continued, increased police presence," police said.

The statement comes after police said they heard from community leaders that the war between Israel and Hamas has generated fear and insecurity.

TPS added that it is working closely with its federal and provincial partners and other law enforcement agencies for information sharing.

"As Chief Myron Demkiw said this week, hateful behaviour and criminality will not be tolerated, and the Service will pursue any alleged or suspected cases of hate crime and violence in our city. Residents are encouraged to report any allegations of hate-motivated incidents to police for investigation," TPS said.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation here in Toronto and will deploy our officers to ensure residents feel a sense of safety and security."

More than 2,300 people have died in Israel and Gaza since violence broke out over the weekend.