Tackling Rural Drugs Problems: A Participatory Approach

• NCJ Number: 182726
• Author(s): Norman Davidson; Louise Sturgeon-Adams; Coral Burrows
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 55 pages
• Corporate Author: Great Britain Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit
• Sale Source: Great Britain Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Crime Detection and Prevention Series Paper 81

Annotation

This paper reports on a program of research and action undertaken in East Yorkshire (England) to examine rural drug use and facilitate an interagency initiative to reduce it.

Abstract

The project reviewed the literature and obtained general background data on rural drug use. It also investigated police intelligence on the drug problem in a rural area and reviewed community-based surveys of drug use in a rural area. Other key elements of the project were to share knowledge and assess the potential for action, develop an interagency initiative, and evaluate the achievements of the initiative. One key finding was that there are few reliable indicators of the extent of drug abuse in rural areas, but the indication is that drug abuse is less prevalent in rural than in urban areas. Little evidence was found of proactive use of police intelligence in the rural area, although many officers view drug law enforcement as important. All forms of drug abuse are evident, but cannabis use is the most common. Drugs are widely available in Driffield and are also obtained in nearby large towns. Two needs were identified by residents in the town: more information on all aspects of drug abuse and access to information that does not stigmatize those seeking it. Agencies indicated the need for a review of resources and policies as a basis for action. The local initiative focused on building a shared view of drug issues and how they may be addressed through the participation of the police, agencies, and local people. The initiative took the form of participatory Drugs Profiling, a police-led task-oriented group discussion of an aspect of drug abuse. The profile used was the life history of a drug user, and the task of the groups was to draw a time-line of the user's life, indicating when, how, and by whom it could be changed. The profiling groups included agency workers and community representatives, parents, and youth both inside and outside the school. 9 figures, 3 tables, 41 references, and appended results of a feedback questionnaire