Toronto’s Supervised Consumption Sites and Local Crime

What was the association between overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites (OPS/SCS) and local crime in Toronto?This ecological cohort study found OPS/SCS were associated with immediate increases in break and enters, but trends in outcomes declined per month, while trends in assaults, robberies, thefts over $5000, bicycle thefts, and thefts from motor vehicles also decreased. Site-specific analyses showed some OPS/SCS were associated with increases in local crime while most were not.These findings suggest that with the exception of break and enters, Toronto’s OPS/SCS were associated with neutral to positive improvements in local crime trends.

Corresponding Author: Dimitra Panagiotoglou, PhD, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Ave, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada (dimitra.panagiotoglou@mcgill.ca).

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