Background: Between 2017 and 2018, nine overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites (OPS/SCS) began operating in Toronto, Canada. We evaluated the effects of the OPS/SCS on incidence and rates of crime (i.e., assault, auto theft, break and enter, robbery, theft over $5000, bicycle theft, and theft from motor vehicle) and mental health act apprehensions.
Methods: We used exclusively publicly available confirmed crimes captured across four Toronto Police Service databases. Events were restricted to crimes that occurred within city boundaries between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2024. Primary analyses used multiple baseline interrupted time series to compare outcome incidences within 100m, 200m and 500m of each OPS/SCS pre- vs. post-implementation. Secondary analyses compared rates of crimes in treated vs. synthetic control neighbourhoods.
Results: Following OPS/SCSs’ implementation, we observed level increases for assaults (61%, 95%CI: 10 to 134%), robberies (62%, 95%CI: 10 to 138%), and break and enters (47%, 95%CI: 6 to 104%) within 100m of sites; but trends declined for robberies (-2%, 95%CI: -3 to 0%) and break and enters (-2%, 95%CI: -3 to -1%). At 200m and 500m, there were no observed level effects for assault or robberies, but break and enters' level effects persisted. Further, thefts from motor vehicles (-2%, 95%CI: -3% to -1%) declined faster post-implementation. Our secondary analysis revealed rates of assaults increased faster (1%, 95%CI: 0 to 1%) in treated neighbourhoods compared with synthetic controls.
Conclusions: The effects of Toronto’s OPS/SCS on crime were complex; with immediate effects attenuating or reversing with time.