‘Incremental but meaningful’: LPSB provides update on Open-Air Substance Use Strategy

CTV’s Lauren Stallone with the London Police Service Board meeting and an update on the open-air drug use strategy.

The London Police Service Board (LPSB) held their monthly meeting Thursday afternoon. An update on the Open-Air Substance Use Strategy was at the forefront of the conversation.

“Officers have interacted with over 1,025 unique individuals and more than half of these individuals have had multiple interactions, reflecting the recurring nature of open-air substance use challenges in certain areas,” said Sarah Harmer, a crime and research supervisor with London Police Services (LPS).

The strategy launched in April of 2025, to address concerns of open-air substance use in public spaces.

Since then, data has been collected to determine the effectiveness of the strategy.

“The data I will be referring to today will cover the period from April 8th, 2025, through to January 19th, 2026,” said Harmer.

She explained major findings include business owners feel “safer” and “more supported” and there have been “fewer complaints” of open-air drug consumption since the strategy’s implementation.

“The average level of agreement with the statement my employees have expressed safety concerns relating to the location of the business dropped from 4.40 to 3.37,” said Harmer.

She said high visibility patrols, engagement efforts, and coordination with community support have made a significant difference.

“These changes, while incremental, are meaningful,” said Harmer. “They demonstrate that the strategy is contributing to measurable improvements in satisfaction with police presence.”

Some board members expressed concerns regarding if seasonality played a factor in the findings saying fewer people are “on the streets” during the winter months.

“We see that because of winter months there’s less contact,” said Thai Truong, London chief of police. “The intention is to run this through and make sure that we conduct phase two appropriately.”

Truong said phase two will include data collection conducted from the majority of summer months as opposed to winter months to ensure a fulsome update.