A qualitative comparison of how people who use drugs’ perceptions and experiences of policing affect supervised consumption services access in two cities

Original research
by
Urbanik, Marta-Marika, Katharina Maier and Carolyn Greene

Release Date

2022

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

Few studies document the empirical nuances of these contextually dependant police-PWUD relationships, and how PWUD’ experiences and perceptions of policing near harm reduction services shape SCS access.

Findings/Key points

Participants in Calgary reported concentrated police presence in and near SCS, in addition to harassment, negative encounters, fears about getting arrested, and experiences of being displaced from the area. Participants in Edmonton, despite also reporting heavy police presence near SCS, reported feeling relatively safe from police intervention and harassment, within SCS and the surrounding area.

Design/methods

Interviews (n=75) and observations

Keywords

About PWUD
Barriers and enablers
Legal system/law enforcement
SCS/OPS