‘This is a health service. Leave it alone’: service user and staff views on policing boundaries involving supervised consumption services

Abstract

Background While sanctioned supervised consumption services (SCS) – monitored spaces where people can consume drugs – are exempt from drug law enforcement, local police interact with SCS in the course of their duties. Policies and protocols to guide SCS–police relationships vary internationally, but appear to be lacking in some jurisdictions. Methods We conducted focus groups with service users (n = 24) and staff (n = 21) at the first three legally sanctioned SCS in Canada’s largest city, Toronto. Thematic analysis involved applying a lens of bounded authority, a concept related to police legitimacy. Results We observed participants discuss desires to keep police away from SCS as grounded in their lived experiences. SCS and overdose events were strongly perceived as spaces and situations where the police should not be present. Participants also expressed concerns that police may exceed or misuse their powers in the vicinity around SCS. Suggestions related to bounding police authority in the context of SCS included establishing physical perimeters of noninterference and sets of clear policies and protocols. Some participants recommended focused training for police, which included mixed opinions on overdose response training. Conclusions Our study makes a novel contribution to the literature by applying features of bounded authority – a lens previously unexamined in relation to harm reduction programs – to perspectives on SCS–police relationships, enhancing understanding of resistance to police presence inside and around SCS. Future research will make further contributions by applying concepts from police legitimacy to the unique contexts afforded by SCS.