Maintaining order in the drug game: applying harm reduction principles to drug detective work. (3rd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bacon, Matthew
• Is Part Of: Police practice & research. Volume 17:Number 4(2016)
• Page Start: 306
• Page End: 316
• Publication Date: 2016-07-03
• Subjects: Detectives -- drug law enforcement -- harm reduction -- police culture -- police reform -- policing drugs; Police -- Periodicals; Police administration -- Periodicals; Law enforcement -- Periodicals; Crime prevention -- Periodicals; 363.2
• DOI: 10.1080/15614263.2016.1175171
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1561-4263

Abstract

Abstract: Drug war rhetoric is losing favour in the political arena due to its increasingly obvious failures and there is a growing consensus amongst governing elites that something ought to change. Against this backdrop, the concept of 'harm reduction' has moved to the foreground of the research agenda and some policing agencies appear to be reconfiguring their enforcement interventions to focus on managing drug markets in a way that minimises the various associated harms. This article draws on the findings of an ethnographic study of specialist detective units in two English police services to examine how recent developments in drug policy discourse have been received and implemented at an operational level. Although there have been some positive advancements, it argues that changes to the prohibition regime are largely superficial and strong cultural resistance remains. The discussion considers how harm reduction principles might be better applied to the policing of drug markets.