Toronto's Supervised Consumption Sites and Local Crime

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminology
• Urban Studies

Background:

• Overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites (OPS/SCS) operated in Toronto from August 2017 to March 2025.
• Community concerns linked these sites to increased local crime and disorder.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between OPS/SCS implementation and local crime rates in Toronto.
• To analyze crime incidence changes before and after the establishment of OPS/SCS.

Main Methods:

• An ecological cohort study design was employed, utilizing Toronto Police Service data.
• An interrupted time series analysis compared monthly crime counts within city boundaries (January 2014 - June 2025).
• Seven crime outcomes were assessed within 400 meters of each OPS/SCS location.

Main Results:

• OPS/SCS implementation was associated with immediate increases in break and enters (49.88%) and thefts from motor vehicles (20.03%).
• However, monthly trends for break and enters, robberies, major thefts, bicycle thefts, and vehicle thefts subsequently declined.
• Site-specific analysis indicated that most OPS/SCS were not associated with crime increases.

Conclusions:

• The overall association between Toronto's OPS/SCS and crime was neutral to beneficial.
• Initial localized crime increases post-implementation were followed by crime reduction trends.
• Findings suggest OPS/SCS do not inherently increase crime and may have a neutral or positive impact over time.