Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
This study aims to understanding the complexities of relations between police and people who use drugs (PWUD) near Supervised Consumption Services (SCS).
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.
Rather than the presence/absence and quantity of policing near SCS, our findings show that the quality of policing experienced in the community shapes PWUD’ perceptions, experiences, and willingness to access SCS.
Design/methods
We report findings from a larger qualitative study on PWUD’s experiences with SCS in two Canadian cities. Data were collected through 75 face-to-face interviews and observations with street-involved PWUD near local SCS in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta.
