More policing worsens drug violence: Study

published on March 23, 2010

In Canadian cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, one of the most pressing priorities for police is combatting an illegal drug trade that has spawned a rash of gangland violence in recent years.

A provocative new report from a BC HIV-research agency, however, suggests that throwing more police resources at the problem will only make the bloodshed worse, not bring peace to the streets.

The majority of studies conducted on the issue over the last 20 years in the U.S. and elsewhere indicate that gang violence increases as law-enforcement activity against the drug trade steps up, says the report from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS…. More >>