‘It has been getting worse’: Police chief outlines strategy to address illegal drug use in public

London police will be cracking down on open air drug use within the city. With the details, here’s CTV's Bryan Bicknell.

London police will no longer turn a blind eye to those using illegal drugs in public places. That pledge was made Tuesday by Chief Thai Truong as the police service outlined its new strategy for addressing open air substance use.

“It has not been getting better, it has been getting worse, so we need to pivot,” said Truong, who was joined by Mayor Josh Morgan and a number of representatives working in harm reduction and mental health services.

“We are not walking by and leaving it for other agencies and community groups to deal with. Instead, we will be engaging, we will be intervening, and we will be conducting outreach together with our community and community partners,” explained Truong.

Beginning Wednesday, officers will work with mental health and addictions workers to approach those using drugs in public. The ultimate goal is to get them connected to treatment.

“The team that we have working with the police, they’re experts. This is what we do. This is what we do every day in our day to day to provide the best care and services to our clients wherever they are in their journey to wellness,” said Pam Tobin, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Thames Valley, who also took part in the news conference.

The teams will focus on downtown, midtown, and the Old East Village to start, but the program and the areas targeted will be evaluated regularly. Officers will wear body cameras and have the discretion to make arrests, lay charges, and confiscate drugs.

“But the traditional way of policing would be enforcement, enforcement, enforcement. That’s not where we’re going to go right away. We’re going to go to that individual and ask them to stop using and try to direct them to the resources that they need,” said Truong.

According to the police chief, the program cost is estimated at between $4 million and $6 million per year, which will come out of the police operating budget. LPS will also be seeking provincial grants to help fund the program.