Drug Diversion Works—If Police Actually Follow the Plan

A November 2023 analysis of 62,000 incidents across 13 English police forces found diversion schemes cut reoffending, but effectiveness hinges on implementation fidelity. When officers apply schemes inconsistently or use them as informal cautions rather than structured health pathways, outcomes collapse. The finding matters because fidelity gaps are common in practice—a gap the large-scale study now quantifies at scale commissioners can't ignore.