Niamh is Executive Director of Release, the UK’s centre of expertise on drugs and drug law. She co-authors Release’s policy papers and advises governments on drug policy and decriminalization. Niamh is a Visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University and has written reports for the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

In the UK, as in many parts of the world, rising homelessness has led politicians and police to use tools to surveil and criminalize those who use drugs in public spaces. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduced powers for police and local authorities to address so-called “anti-social behaviour” (ASB), including Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs).

PSPOs allow local authorities (municipalities) to ban certain activities in designated areas to target perceived ASB. Breaching a PSPO can result in a £100 penalty, with non-payment leading to prosecution. Ultimately, PSPOs add to the tools law enforcement uses to police and criminalize poverty.

While no comprehensive data exists on the number of PSPOs in the UK, anecdotal evidence suggests these orders increasingly target people who use drugs and those who are unhoused. Release, the UK’s centre of expertise on drugs and drug laws, has challenged PSPOs in two London boroughs. In both cases, the proposed orders banned "psychoactive substances," despite most substances already being criminalized, and prohibited the use of tents or “illegal” encampments. In one borough, the PSPO would also ban carrying paraphernalia, undermining harm reduction efforts that legally allow individuals to possess injecting equipment.

Release has begun mapping PSPOs across the UK to create a publicly accessible tool. We are also developing a public advocacy pack to help people challenge PSPOs locally. With 317 local authorities in England alone, this work is crucial - we must build a movement. Part of this strategy will include advocating for drug consumption spaces and higher tolerance policies in hostels and similar places. PSPOs are just one example of how vulnerable people are increasingly targeted by the State, where people who use drugs are scapegoated, whilst inequality continues unabated, driving the housing crisis and pushing people further into the margins.