Latest news with #ProjectPathways
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Police seize drugs 218 times in 1st month of cracking down on open drug use in London
A campaign launched to crack down on open drug use in London's core recorded 218 drug seizures by police in its first three weeks, the head of the London police foot patrol unit says. London's police chief unveiled the approach, dubbed Project Pathways, during a news conference on April 8. The seizure tally spans its launch that day through to April 30, said Staff Sgt. Sherri Baltzer. "I think it's going really well. We've had a lot of positive feedback from the community at large," Baltzer told CBC News. There's been a "marked difference" in the way people using drugs are responding to officers, she said. "A lot of times in the past, they weren't even making any effort to hide it, even when officers were coming up … We're still finding a significant amount of that, but nothing near what it was." The aim is to deter such open drug use, which has become a visible issue, and provide pathways to support services. To do that, police increased foot patrol officers and patrols in downtown, midtown, and Old East Village, with some paired with health care workers. The public's perception was that police were "just walking by" blatant, open drug use, Chief Thai Truong said last month. "We've heard that loud and clear. We're expecting our officers to engage … we need to pivot." Of the 218 seizures in April, most involved fentanyl and ended with officers not laying charges for personal amounts, a decision up to the discretion of each member of foot patrol, which numbers 27 constables, two sergeants and Baltzer. "They're not typically laying a charge unless circumstances dictate they should lay the charge," such as how often they've been spoken to, and where they were using. Roughly 49 per cent of their calls in April were related to trespassing, and 46 per cent to in-progress drug use, Baltzer said, adding officers had seized no firearms yet, but had seized "a lot of knives." Most people the unit interacts with are known to them by name, and will oftentimes voluntarily turn over their drugs, she said. Some searches have turned up larger drug amounts, leading to charges for possessing for trafficking. "If they're illegal drugs, then we are seizing them," she said. "If there's someone using openly, that's our first engagement with them, and we will seize those drugs, or if they have a small amount in a pipe or on a piece of tin foil, we will seize that and tag that for destruction." Most interactions involve compliant individuals who receive a warning and are advised of resources, however fewer people than expected are biting. "I was hopeful more people would accept the resources we're offering, or that we're saying are available," Baltzer said. Police can't force someone into harm reduction or recovery, but can serve as a contact for social agencies, and provide transportation assistance. Participants with London's Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service site have told workers they were referred by police, said Megan Van Boheemen, director of harm reduction services with Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC). In some cases, officers have walked with participants to the site, she said. Nearly 1,900 people accessed Carepoint in April, up from the monthly average of 1,500, and staff responded to 28 overdoses, also above average, Van Boheemen said. Given Project Pathways is still new, she declined to draw a direct correlation between it and the increases. Police have been collaborative in developing the project, working with RHAC, London Health Sciences Centre, and other agencies. To prepare, foot patrol officers toured Carepoint and got a rundown of its operations, Baltzer said. Like other province-funded consumption sites, Carepoint participants can only ingest, inject, and snort their drugs. Only two facilities in Canada offer supervised inhalation services — Casey House in Toronto, and Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon. "People who inhale their substances don't have a place anywhere in the community to safely use," and seizing drugs can put them in a cycle of needing to get more, said Chris Moss, executive director of London Cares. "It's a negative cycle that does increase criminality in the community, it could increase violence and can increase escalations … Taking it away isn't solving any problems, it's actually perpetuating more." The problem is compounded by a lack of medicated withdrawal options for those with fentanyl addictions, who can't just quit cold turkey, she said. She's concerned people may just go elsewhere, out of view, to avoid having drugs confiscated. "I certainly hope that's not an end result, but none of our statistics right now show that that's the case," Baltzer said of increased criminality. She says there's no evidence to suggest that it was pushing people into areas where they may overdose alone.
CBC
09-04-2025
- CBC
London police chief launches new strategy to curb blatant drug use in public
London, Ont., police officers will no longer pass by people who are using illegal drugs on city streets and will instead try to talk to them and get them help, the police chief said Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, the new approach, dubbed Project Pathways, will enable officers to crack down on open-air drug use, which has made downtown, midtown and Old East Village feel unsafe, Chief Thai Truong said. Officers will also arrest people and take away their drugs if they become combative, he added. "One of the complaints in this community is that open drug use is occurring, and our officers are just walking by. We've heard that loud and clear. We're expecting our officers to engage. There's an expectation they will engage," he said. "We need to pivot." All the officers involved in the project will have body-worn cameras, Truong said, and have undergone additional training to deal with people who might be high or coming off drugs. Officers will work alongside mental health and addiction workers, he added. "Part of this is about outreach, about policing with kindness and compassion. Arrest is not the first course of action. We have to ask, 'What does that person need?' If an individual is not compliant, then enforcement is an option." In most cases, people using drugs need help, and that's what officers will try to offer them. But, those who have a "complete disregard for others will be held to account," Truong said. "This is about balanced enforcement when appropriate." It'll be up to officers to decide if they should arrest someone or arrest and charge them, but either way, illegal drugs will be confiscated, Truong said. The project will be re-evaluated in six months to see if it should be made permanent. Right now, one or two teams of foot patrol officers walk the beat. That will increase to three or four teams. Some teams will be paired with workers with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Thames Valley. "This collaboration builds on existing partnerships ... The current demand outweighs our capacity to provide care to those who want it in our community. Through partnerships, we can continue to expand our reach. We will direct people to our community programs that are tailored to their needs," said Pam Tobin, CEO of CMHA Thames Valley. "By meeting people where they are, we remove barriers, ease system navigation, and ensure that support is delivered with compassion and respect." Funding from the program will come from the existing police budget. For business owners such as Kadhim Hasan, who owns a variety store at Dundas and Clarence streets, it's a small step in the right direction. "We need more to be done, clearly," he said after listening to the news conference at the police station. "We have to deal with the roots of the problem. That's very important, because it affects every society and community. The problem is much bigger than just local people can solve." Bonnie Wludyka, the property manager at Citi Plaza, in the heart of downtown, said she's hopeful the new approach will work. "It's a good strategy to get started with," she said. "I think it will be fluid, and I think that's important. To be too regimented at this point, we probably wouldn't see the results." Officers will walk the beat and get to know people who need help, Truong said. They'll work alongside outreach workers from London Cares, who are on the street every day helping people. "We have really solid relationships with people; they know every single person out on the street, so they're going to leverage those relationships to create trust and make sure there is care for people," said Chris Moss, the executive director of London Cares.
CBC
08-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Police chief launches new strategy to curb blatant drug use in public
London police officers will no longer pass by people who are using illegal drugs on city streets and will instead try to talk to them and get them help, London's police chief said Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, the new approach, dubbed Project Pathways, will enable officers to crack down on open-air drug use, which has made downtown, midtown and Old East Village feel unsafe, Chief Thai Truong said. Officers will also arrest people and take away their drugs if they become combative, he added. "There's been a deterioration of safety, and it has been getting worse. We're not going to leave it for others to deal with," he said. "One of the complaints in this community is that open drug use is occurring, and our officers are just walking by. We've heard that loud and clear. We're expecting our officers to engage. There's an expectation they will engage." All the officers involved in the project will have body-worn cameras, Truong said, and have gotten additional training to deal with people who might be high or coming off drugs. Officers will work alongside mental health and addiction workers, he added. "Part of this is about outreach, about policing with kindness and compassion. Arrest is not the first course of action. We have to ask, 'What does that person need?' If an individual is not compliant, then enforcement is an option." It'll be up to officers to decide if they should arrest someone or arrest and charge them, but either way, illegal drugs will be confiscated, Truong said. The project will be re-evaluated in six months to see if it should be made permanent. Right now, there are one or two teams of foot patrol officers walking the beat. That will increase to three or four teams. Some teams will be paired with Centre for Mental Health and Addiction (CMHA) Thames Valley workers. "This collaboration builds on existing partnerships ... The current demand outweighs our capacity to provide care to those who want it in our community. Through partnerships, we can continue to expand our reach. We will direct people to our community programs that are tailored to their needs," said Pam Tobin, the CMHA's head. "By meeting people where they are, we remove barriers, ease system navigation, and ensure that support is delivered with compassion and respect." Funding from the program will come from the existing police budget.
CBC
08-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
How to crack down on open drug use? 5 Londoners on what police should do
Social Sharing Months after he promised to crack down on drug users smoking and injecting substances out in the open, Chief Thai Truong will unveil a new approach to guide police officers as they interact with drug users in the city's downtown, midtown and Old East Village. At his state of the city address, Mayor Josh Morgan said, "Blatant public drug ... must not be tolerated" and welcomed an open-air public space drug strategy. Truong has said it's a problem police can't "arrest their way out of." The new policy, called Project Pathways, will be unveiled at police headquarters Tuesday morning. CBC News spoke to several Londoners about what they'd like to see. Scott Courtice Executive director, London Intercommunity Health Centre "I hope that as we're trying to enforce the appropriate use of public space, that people are moved to places where they can get support services and not just be moved along to nothing," Courtice said. "We need to use this as an opportunity to provide supports to people and not have it feel punitive, but really like we're trying to balance the concerns of businesses and neighbourhoods with the real need for people who are using substances on the street to get access to services." Police will hopefully balance the rights of people using drugs with the rights of people to enjoy public spaces and for businesses to thrive. "Confiscating drugs should be a very last resort for police." Kevin Morrison General manager, Old East Village business improvement area "Since I've been here for the last year and a half, there's been a hands-off approach to open drug use and it seems that not only are we ignoring it but we're enabling it, so that has to stop. People don't feel safe on their sidewalks or on the streets," Morrison said. "I think the first step is to confiscate the drugs. Take the drugs away, make them uncomfortable. Where are they going to go? I don't now, but you can't be on the sidewalks. By moving them along and making it uncomfortable, they don't have the drugs anymore, they have to go through the hassle of getting drugs again." Those whose drugs have been taken away might be more agitated, but it might help them move toward asking for treatment, Morrison said. Melissa Parrott "I work downtown. It's really tough to see people struggling every single day," Parrott said. "I don't want people to be pushed aside. We don't like to see drug use around the library, where people bring their kids, where they walk their dogs; having all the litter is disturbing, but it's also disturbing to see police moving people along who are just eating a sandwich, just trying to survive." There has to be a place for people to go, she added. "Do they have a place to go? That's my main concern. We need more services, somewhere safe to consume the drugs. Safe supply and a safe place to use, that's what we need." Michelle Nicholls Downtown resident "Weed is legal, but anything else than that, they should be cracking down on. The police chief has said they won't arrest immediately; they'll move people along and give stern warnings twice. You can definitely see the drug use problem here downtown. I think if people know that they'll get a ticket eventually, that would be great. Arresting everyone won't make any sense, we already have a really clogged justice system." Mark Dencev Owner, Richmond Tavern "What I'd really like to see is some sort of a zone where commercial businesses and tourism are really considered. I think it's super important to be very compassionate with the individuals that are using. I understand how difficult it is for them. There are not a lot of safe places for them to go. But when you're standing in the open, in doorways, you're not only impeding businesses, but you're setting a real obstacle for the reputation of downtown. It makes people feel not safe to come downtown." A zero-tolerance zone where people loitering or using drugs would be immediately ushered out could be the solution, Dencev said. "If you don't listen, then you're going to get a ticket, a fine, arrested, whatever. But if you're doing what you're doing outside of that zone, nobody is going to bother you about it. That way, businesses are protected." Beat police and foot patrol officers know the names of the people who use drugs in their areas, and seem to care about them, Dencev added. "There's not enough tools in their toolbox and not enough resources to back them up. They're just shuffling people along to the next empty doorway, and that's not a solution. You need a property for safe injections, some sort of an area that would be more supportive for these individuals, just not in the middle of downtown when we're trying to do business."
