Problem-Oriented Policing: Drug and Substance-Related Crimes - Literature review Example

Problem Oriented Policing: Drug and substance related crimes Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date: Drug and substance trafficking, sometimes referred to ass as the illegal drugs trade is a collective term used to refer to all activities involved in cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and sale of drugs that are subject to prohibition by both state and regional laws. Such illegal drugs and substances include bhang, heroin, cocaine, Methamphetamine, and cannabis. (Donovan and Walsh, 2012). The principles, practices and approaches of problem oriented policing (POP) are bound to yield great results if embraced by the whole society as a unified effort to eradicate, if not reduce drug and substance trafficking. According to CHEERS test, a problem is a recurring set of related harmful events in a community that members of the public expect the police to address. This definition incorporates the six required elements of a problem: Community; Harm; Expectation; Events; Recurring; and Similarity. These elements are captured by the acronym CHEERS. With regard to community, drug and substance trafficking possess a number of harmful effects on the community as a whole. For instance drug users commit crimes at several times the rate of those who do not use drugs. (Palmiotto, 2009). Some of the intoxicants contained in drugs drive drug users out of the normal conscience often driving them to commit heinous crimes such as violence, robbery and even murder. Harmful effects emanating from use of prohibited drugs include property loss and damage, injury and death, serious mental anguish and sometimes user often tend to undermine the capacity of the police. A society dominated with use and addiction of illegal drugs is often regarded an unsecure environment due to prevalence of harmful practices that are at times directed to innocent individuals. (Wiatrowski & Vardalis, 2010). As a result, non-users and other members of the community expect the police to address the causes of the harm. Such expectation is never presumed, it is in fact evident through processes such as citizen calls, community meetings and press reports. Problem oriented policing (POP) can thus be effectively used to either reduce such illegal drug trafficking or totally curb such practices in areas where the trade is yet to find its way into the society. Cooperation between civilian and members of the police force can therefore be fostered so as to successfully decrease crime-related crimes across the country. The initial approach in this case would be to effectively engage the community in determining the underlying causes of drug trafficking, drug and substance abuse as well as drug-related crimes. Through in-depth information sharing and engagement between civilians and the police, it is possible to identify the drug lords, their points of trade as well as their manufacturing points. (Espinosa& Wittmier, 2011). In order to enhance effectiveness of problem oriented policing (POP), there is need for solution derivation through acute listening to community members that the police can get a clue of the source of such differences in severity, type and nature. Investigations and intelligence work services by the police alone cannot effectively help get to such drug lords. For instance, while the police might be looking for avenues to reach such areas, some of the community members may be secretly leaking the same information or worse by of providing shelter to the same culprits. Such a relationship between police and the public jeopardizes the whole process and guarantees minimal success. Embracing problem oriented policing will imply that the community members will jointly work with the police, boosting their efforts by providing intelligence information and revealing the perpetrators of the illegal trade. Another possible technique would be initiating public education programs on drug and substance related crimes. One major reason for such public education programs would be to garner support for the police from the public. Such programs will also act as forums through which the police will give out information to the civilians on how to avoid involvement in drugs as well as falling victim of drug users and peddlers. This strategy has extensively been used in in Los Angeles through a public program called D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance education). The program is ran by the police force through all the academic institutions from kindergarten to twelfth grade in which children are taught on hoe to resist peer pressure and live drug and violence free lives. (Dunham, Roger &Alpert, 2010). Problem oriented policing can effectively be implemented through apartment watch program. The program involves a move that sees community members in their residence units, be it apartment s or residential flats, come together to share vital information about drug-related crimes within their locality. They subsequently deliberate on prevention of the same crimes as well as develop plans to keep watch of their neighborhood and report any form of drug-related crime within such neighborhoods. Residents also discuss their opinions, views, perceptions and feelings on drug-related crimes and deliberate on possible solutions. Problem oriented policing often insists on such collective and joint approaches to common problems. Closely related to neighborhood watch are the neighborhood town meetings. Town centers do not only provide market for prohibit drugs but the investments and enterprises in the same towns also provide easy targets for drug-related robberies and lootings. The major objective of neighborhood town meetings is to establish and sustain contact between the public and the police department and applications the practices of problem oriented policing (POP) strategies is to offer another valuable opportunity for the police and partners to identify emerging problems of concern to local communities. With regard to problem oriented policing, the different views raised in such forums can easily be used to create formidable strategies and approaches to fight the common problem. (Needle & Galvin,2003) Prior to the meetings, sufficient and well covered advertisements are done so as to attract the largest possible audiences. They serve as information exchange forums and as grounds for identification, deliberation and prioritization of the fight against drug related crimes within the large community. This is in line with problem oriented policing which often seeks to establish diverse views and opinions from different personalities in such large gatherings. During such neighborhood meetings, the police get chance to explain to the public the dangers of engaging in drugs, the possible crimes and accompanying penalties one is likely to face once caught up with the law. The joint approach between the police and community is in fact a fundamental concept of problem oriented policing. In cases of large civilian to police ratio, storefront ministrations can effectively be used as a community policing technique to curb drug and substance related crimes. Police storefront ministrations refer to the process of decentralization of police services by way of bringing the police closer to the community members they serve. In most cases, ministrations are usually established in inaccessible geographical areas which often serve as hubs for such crimes as drug related crimes. (Weisburd, McElroy, & Hardyman,2011) . Problem oriented policing insists on good ministrations which involve a good mix of police officers, paid civilians, and volunteers. They usually portray heavy presence of police especially in high crime areas hence scaring off potential drug dealers and possible crimes in relation to the same. Ministrations also offer a perfect avenue for close relations and sharing of information between the police and the general public especially drug related tips. It may also be necessary to involve the community and general public in drug related crime prevention through weed and seed programs rather than sitting back to act on occurrence of such crimes. This approach involves three broad categories of the society; community members, law enforcement agencies and the prosecution system of the land. While the community and the police department tirelessly work to inculcate the crime prevention, intervention and restoration programs in society, the prosecution on the hand should reciprocate and appreciate such effort by weeding out such violent criminals, drug lords and drug users from the same community. Any culprit presented for prosecution should be charged in a way to serve as an example to other drug users and those who might be tempted to engage in similar deeds. This is, according to principles of problem oriented policing, only achieved where there is collaboration between police and the public, coordination of the fight against drug related crimes, significant community involvement and participation and efforts to leverage available resources for the same undertakings. Research conducted on prevalence and use of drugs and substance point out at increased number of addicts among the youth. In this case, there is need to focus on the youth as a special group when it comes to fighting prohibited drugs consumption and hence drug- related crime. (Sparrow, Malcolm, Moore & Kennedy, 2011). Therefore, as a technique for problem oriented partnership and community policing to be specific, efforts should be made to enhance youth-focused community oriented policing. According to the findings at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence in the United States of America, many young people resolve resort to violence and crime after abusing hard drugs due to the notion that the existing structures are not effective enough to prevent occurrence of such crimes or effectively protect the society from actions of drug users (Hoover, 2012). Others abuse drugs with a core mission of getting intoxicated hence stimulated to engage in any form of ruthless crime, including murder, rape and robbery. A number of crimes detection and prevention institutions have emphasized on juvenile delinquency prevention and intervention are the key elements of community oriented policing. However, such systems fail to seize vital information and resources to zero in onto youthful drug users and offenders. With such in mind, any action plan that supports youth-focused community oriented policing will eventually have the potential to contribute significantly to the reduction of drug related crime, disorder, and fear. According to the American intelligence service reports, (MillerHess & Orthmann, 2011) the trafficking of cocaine, marijuana, Opiates and methamphetamine generate several billions of dollars on the black market which are subsequently used to fund and run criminal gangs and terrorist groups. When all other efforts to penetrate and destroy the black market had failed to yield fruit, the congress sanctioned the move to use community policing as a technique to fight drug-related criminals and terrorists. The results from community policing have been tremendous. For instance, through community policing, the national intelligence service was able to establish that the Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) are the largest controllers and stakeholders on the United States illicit drug market. (MillerHess & Orthmann, et al). According to the Clinton Administration's Law Enforcement Strategy, a police department that aims at Combating Crime with Community Policing and Community Prosecution, much progress and positive outcome in fighting drug-related crimes and general drug trafficking has been realized from collaborative working between the police and the civilians. The reports further emphasizes that there has been greater peace of mind coming, probably more than anything else, from the presence of the police on the street, in the neighborhood, in a preventive, cooperative fashion The American government chose to embrace community policing in two broad perspectives. The initial one was by increasing the number of police within the trafficking prone areas. Drug traffickers and users, just like any other criminals fear police presence. The second approach was conducting extensive public educative programs on the whole issue of drug-related crimes. The number of drug-related crime in the United States of America has significantly gone down, thanks to the community policing strategies and concepts employed. The tremendous success can be attributed to problem oriented policing (POP). The entire community especially in South America identified drug trafficking as a community problem that needed address by the police. After consultative forums, community members provident the relevant required information that helped the police to seize some of the culprits as well as drive others out of the regions and hence the positive results. Drug-dealing and associated crimes such as robbery, unlawful gang activities or terrorism may be effectively curbed and eradicated if the police, community members, and social services agencies with the society join up hands together to establish rehabilitation and counseling facilities to reduce consumption of such drugs and subsequent hence addiction. This in most cases usually requires the restructuring and decentralization of existing police departments. These may include the use of crime analysts to help identify culprits as well enhancing and emphasizing on the roles of the police leadership in promoting problem oriented policing. (Kelling, 2007) References A New Era for Policing. New York: Basic Books, Inc. Donovan, E.J., and W.F. Walsh. “Private Security and Community Policing: Evaluation and Comment.” Journal of Criminal Justice. 17(3)(2012) Dunham, Roger; Alpert, Geoffrey (2010). Critical Issues in Policing. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Espinosa, G., and R. Wittmier. “Police Bicycle Patrols: An Integral Part of Community Policing.” Campus Enforcement Journal. 21(6)(November– December 2011). Hoover, Larry T., ed.(2012) Police Management: Issues and Perspectives. Kelling, George L. “Acquiring a Task for Order—The Community and Police.” Crime and Delinquency 33(1)(January 2007). Miller, L. S., Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2011). Community policing: partnerships for problem solving. Australia, Delmar Cengage Learning. Needle, Jerome A., and Raymond T. Galvin. “Community Policing: An Inevitable Progression.” Community Policing: Issues and Options 1(9)(October 2003). Palmiotto, M. (2009). Community policing: a policing strategy for the 21st century. Gaithersburg, Md, Aspen Sparrow, Malcolm K., Mark H. Moore, and David M. Kennedy.(2101) Beyond 911: Toch, Hans, and J. Douglas Grant.(2011) Police As Problem Solvers. New York: Plenum Publishing Corporations. Washington, D.C.: Police Executive Research Forum. Weisburd, David, Jerome McElroy, and Patricia Hardyman. “Challenges to Supervision in Community Policing: Observations on a Pilot Project.” American Journal of Police 7(2)(2012). Wiatrowski, M., and J. Vardalis. “Experiment in Community Policing in Delray Beach, Florida.” Police Journal 63(2)(April–June 2010). Read More