No link between supervised consumption sites and crime rates: study

The presence of overdose prevention and supervised drug consumption sites in Toronto are not linked to increase in crimes over the long-term, according to McGill University researchers.

The study found that, over a 10-year period, crime reports remained the same or declined in neighbourhoods where consumption sites had been opened.

“Opposition from the public and policymakers has often centred on neighbourhood safety and decline,” said Dimitra Panagiotoglou, lead author of the study. “We wanted to find out whether the data supported those claims.”

In their analysis, researchers looked at crime data from Toronto police near nine consumption sites that opened after 2017 but were closed due to community pressure.

They found five major crimes from assault, auto theft, break in, theft over $5,000 in a 400-metre around the sites.

“Once the sites opened, there was a jump in break and enters in some areas. Over time, those reports declined, as did reports of robberies,” a press release announcing the study said. There were no links between assault and auto thefts and the opening of these sites.

The finding that crime didn’t increase mirrors results from other cities, the researchers said.

However, why there was a decline after remains unknown and many factors such as increased policing and mental health initiatives launched by Toronto police could be factors.

Nearly a decade after Canada recognized the opioid crisis as a public health emergency, polarized views on harm reduction measures like safe consumption sites could be holding back progress, according to the study’s authors.

“We need both realism and compassion,” said Panagiotoglou. “People’s discomfort is understandable, but the crisis reflects deeper systemic issues, such as housing, employment and the toxic drug supply.”