The London Police Service (LPS) is rolling out a new strategy to address open-air drug use in public spaces, with a focus on “compassionate, innovative and resourceful” tactics to curb the ongoing crisis.
“Drugs and drug-related crime remain the top policing concern identified by our community,” said Chief Thai Truong during a press conference earlier Tuesday.
Recent concerns from the community have sparked the decision to implement urgent action from LPS to manage open-air drug use in the city.
Starting this week, more officers will patrol on foot, with some teams paired with mental health experts from CMHA and practicing nurses.
The new approach will involve using more compassionate methods to deal with drug use in a long-term way, rather than enforce and arrest.
Police say the new approach involves getting authorities to engage with people using drugs, connecting them to resources, and avoiding criminalizing addiction.
“If somebody is using drugs in open air in the community, our officers are expected to engage and enforce,” said Truong.
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“But we are going to try to take a different course — go to that individual, ask them to stop using, and then direct them to resources, not to arrest as the first course of action.”
In light of the uptick in overdoses the past few years, LPS is hopeful this method will help improve the overall sense of safety and security in the community.
“One of the complaints is that there is open drug use occurring and our officers are just walking by,” Chief Truong said. “They want to engage, they want to help … but the second there is an overdose or someone goes into withdrawal, those officers are under scrutiny.
“That is why they received additional training, are wearing body-worn cameras, and we will support them.”
The program is expected to cost between $4-to-6 million a year.
Mayor Josh Morgan praised the initiative, saying, “This is an amazing step forward.”
“We are taking a new approach. It was not easy to pull this together. I know the state of the city is concerning but (this) is our top priority,” Morgan said.
He also highlighted a new paramedic strategy to free up ambulances by sending advanced care paramedics in alternate vehicles so there are not two ambulance vehicles being deployed each call.
While the initiative plans to roll out as early as tomorrow, the city is requesting anonymous feedback from the public to continue tackling open-air drug use.
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