Harm Reduction Policing: A Scoping Review Examining Police Training as a Strategy to Overcome Barriers to HIV Services

Discriminatory laws and punitive policing practices have long been known to impede access to HIV and other health services. While the 2021–2026 Global AIDS Strategy calls for decriminalizing laws targeting key and vulnerable populations, progress toward this goal has largely stalled. To better understand the potential for working with police to ensure access to HIV services, we conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed and gray literature examining outcomes of police training published between January 2000 and August 2024. Following a review of 639 articles and reports meeting our search criteria, we found 11 peer-reviewed articles and six reports that included outcomes of police training. Our review found that well-designed police training can benefit both law enforcement and communities. It can be a cost-effective public health investment. Best practices for police training included addressing police occupational safety concerns; using trainings as opportunities to build stronger relationships between law enforcement and communities; fostering support from police leadership; and embedding training in a broader effort to change policing. While changing police is complex, our review found a body of literature describing positive outcomes from training, including increasing recognition by police of their role to protect the right to health for key and vulnerable populations.