Essay: Drug Surge In Wolfstead Park - Problem, Solutions

Dependent Variable

Discuss about the Increase Of Drug In The Wolfstead Park.

Wolfstead Park, like for the case of all other parks is a place where area residents go to relax and have some good time. A problem has however occurred which has caused problems and challenges for the park to solve this issue.  Reports have been made where an increased drug use in the park by the youths is disrupting the peace of peaceful residents that use the park for relaxation among other appropriate purposes. This aspect has led to increased problems in the park.

The dependent variable consists of the solution path that is the main occurrence that can be utilized to determine whether the park has experienced positive change or not. With this regard, the park can only be regarded as improving when incidences of drug use by the youths or other individuals reduce significantly. The reduction of these incidences is thus the dependent variable in deciding whether any form of improvements are taking place (Reisig, & Kane, 2014).

The problem is the increase of drug use by youths in the park. The cause of this problem can be a large number of variables. Each one of these variables, however, are connected with the aspects of the youths attaining drugs while in the park, and thus for that reason, the cause is an increase in drug Sale to the youths within the park.

The independent variable is mainly the causes of the problem in place. Mr. Gleeson provides an explanation of the major causes and explains the increased drug sale business as the main cause of the problem and thus it is also the main independent variable. 

The community group conducted research studies to provide evidence of the problem. Mr. Gleeson provides a research evidence as the means through which an understanding of the problem was obtained. The research method used was interviews among the members of the community who visit the park. A large number of eye witnesses provided information regarding the occurrences and issues presenting in the park. 

The evidence that Mr. Gleeson provides can be considered of high quality. To begin with, live witnesses to the occurrences of the park are provided, who explains what has been happening in the park and its cause. This aspect is appropriate for an individual to understand, mostly because with poor understanding, it becomes extremely difficult for an individual to understand the means through which the park issues can be established effectively (Greene, & Gabbidon, 2012).

Cause of the Problem

The city council and the police are interested in understanding whether the park indeed has a problem of excessive use of drugs by the youths and whether there is sufficient evidence to prove this claim.

The drugs business carried out in the park will cause a significant increase of drug use in the park. This aspect will significantly increase cases of violence and problems in the park, an aspect that is less beneficial and expected.

A proposal has been put forward by inspector Allen that the police of the state should conduct its research on this issue within the park using the research method of interviews and observations. The interviews will help in obtaining the information from individuals that have been able to observe the park even before the police began the investigations. This method will thus help to equip the police with relevant information that is highly beneficial and appropriate in operation. At the same time, the police will attain information about the opinions of the park residents who have been using the park peacefully long before this problem occurred (White, & Habibis, 2005).

The other aspect of observation is important because it will provide the police with first-hand information on what has been taking place in the park. This section of information is highly beneficial and appropriate because it is highly accurate and reliable, unlike the case of the eye witness information. When witnesses can provide information that is inaccurate or incorrect, the view that the police officers will have is likely to provide highly accurate information about the events occurring at the time. The combination of these aspects in the method of research will help to provide enough evidence and understanding to the police, of the occurrences taking place in the park.

In order to manage to conduct the research at hand effectively, it is appropriate to describe the means through which I will manage to operationalize the dependent variable. The dependent variable, in this case, is the process of reducing the number of drugs that are accessed by youths within the park region. I propose to achieve this reduction by first empowering the community with methods that can be used to solve the problem. I will give every community member a hotline number which he or she can call to inform of any progressing incidences of drugs in the park to the police. With this information, the police can respond immediately and make arrests to the individuals causing this problem. I will then establish regular police patrols to police officers dressed like civilians in the park, who will assess and address any drug activities that might be taking place during the patrol session.

Independent Variable

The evidence that will be collected during the research will be of high quality since its advantages and strengths significantly surpass its disadvantages and weaknesses. The first main strength is the fact that the police will have the information first hand through the observation method. The other major strength is the fact that willing residents of the area will provide the needed additional information, and since there is no force used, the individuals will have no reason to express inaccurate information. The main weaknesses are the fact that a number of individuals might still provide inaccurate information, although these individuals are likely to be significantly less (Braga, & Weisburd, 2010).

As a way of responding to the problem in place and establishing a solution, the park attained a lights installation, which was aimed at ensuring that individuals do not hide in the dark and carry out their legal operations. This installation was responsible for a significant positive improvement on the problem. The county council is however interested in understanding any other causes that might have contributed to this improvement. The first possible cause is the understanding of the individuals that were abusing drugs in the park that people were concerned with their behaviours. This understanding led to many of them making the decision of not taking the drugs in that park. Another possible cause is the understanding of the seriousness that both the community and the county council had in addressing the problem. This problem led the individuals who caused the problem to make different choices.

With the assumption that the benefit obtained was caused by the lights, the amount of the benefit that these lights caused is equivalent to the improvement observed. To begin with, the lights have the benefit of making the park visible even during the night. With this regard, it became an unsuitable position for individuals to take drugs. The lights also revealed to the individuals that people of the community are concerned with the drug problem and are willing to make changes by addressing this problem. With this regard, therefore, the lights made a significant positive change and can be viewed as the main reason why the improvements were observed.

In order to obtain the best possible evidence about the impact of the lights in addressing the solution, a research study is necessary. The most appropriate research method to carry out this research and obtain relevant evidence is the qualitative method. In this method data collection means like interviews are appropriate and highly beneficial. By collecting data using these methods, it is easy to obtain sufficient evidence needed in determining the impact of the lights in addressing the problem. The method can also help to understand other possible reasons why the improvement observed occurred. This method is thus the most appropriate method that is necessary and appropriate (Greene, & Gabbidon, 2012).

Types of Research Method Used by Community Group

Through the utilization of the qualitative research method, the evidence obtained is more likely to be of a very high quality. To begin with, the method allows data to be obtained through the data collection methods like interviews to the residents that manage to observe the park effectively. The other important aspect of consideration is the means through which the evidence data is obtained. The residents of the park are significantly willing to provide assistance in any form and thus in order to help in establishing the most appropriate strategies to address the problem, the data obtained through this research method is likely to be highly accurate. This accuracy is likely to ensure effectiveness in data provision.

The residents of the region surrounding the park are highly concerned about the state the park is in, mostly because occurrences in the region directly affect them. If youths become rowdy and begin vandalizing the neighbourhood, the neighbours residing near the park are the individuals in danger of these occurrences. With this regard, therefore, neighbours of the park have a concern about being crime victims, with the current proceedings of the park’s situation. In an assessment survey to determine the extent to which individuals associated with the park fear being crime victims, the most appropriate target population is the individuals within the radius of 500 meters around the park, and other individuals who visit the park often from other regions. The individuals living around the park are likely to visit the park in large numbers and thus together with the other visiting individuals, the park is capable of holding about 200 people and above on a single occasion. These individuals can be utilized to carry out the survey.

Sample

Like all other survey exercises, it is difficult to carry out a study with the full population of study, on such an occasion, it is appropriate to obtain random individuals to create a sample group that will be utilized to provide information in the survey. The sample group should be fully representing of all the group of interest in the survey. The uniform representation is essential in ensuring that all individuals associated with the issue have their issues represented in the survey and its findings (White, & Habibis, 2005). With regard to this study, the most appropriate sample group should consist of individuals from the neighbourhood and others who visit the park from other areas. These are the individuals who are directly affected by the Park and its proceedings. About two hundred individuals are appropriate to include as the sample group to take the survey. Within this group of individuals, a group of individuals can be visitors to the park while the other group should consist of individuals who live in the neighbourhood. Since the park is large enough to hold this number of individuals, the survey can be carried out in a single day at the park, mostly a weekend since it is the specific day when the park is likely to have a large number of people. The individuals in the park can then be utilized as the sample group to provide the survey needed information in the study.

Quality of the Evidence and Possible Alternative Causes

Majority of the individuals are afraid of becoming a victim of the violent activities taking place in the park. With the park being a place where people like to go when they want to relax and rest, it is normally crowded and has often been safe for people to travel without fear at any time. The increased crime rate and drug use in the cause are however a cause of fear for many individuals, who have been using the park peacefully.

The residents have been reducing the confidence they have with the local police, mostly because most of them believe the responsibility of ensuring public places like parks are safe for people belongs to the police. The presence and existence of high crime rates in these regions are thus associated with the failure of the local police in carrying out their duties and roles (Miller, Hess. & Orthmann, 2011).

The question of gender has also been of concern to many individuals. Individuals of the female gender fear more for their safety in the park compared to those of the male gender. Another question the survey presents is the query of how important and appropriate the aspects of gender impact the probability of crime victimisation in the park.

Another important aspect of consideration is the confidence that people have with the local police. A number of individuals who understand the complexity of the issue still has faith in the local police. Those who however view the aspects of crime increase as the failure of the police have a significantly reduced confidence in the local police. In case the survey participant chooses the category of low confidence on the local police, one question that the survey will ask is an explanation why they have low confidence.

In this research, the first possible quantitative variable that is likely to present is fear because of earlier experience in crime. Another possible variable is the effectiveness of variables in operation. These variables complete defining the possible quantitative variables that might occur.

Potential findings that might occur for the qualitative questions are the explanations about the reasons why a number of individuals are not confident in the services that they receive from police officers. The explanations of different individuals will help in explaining the reasons why people are not fully conversant and satisfied with those services. 

An important aspect that the survey requires to provide information about is the query of whether the fear that individuals have of becoming crime victims cause them to increase their blame on the local police. The question about the extent to which respondents think the local police and their operations is responsible for the negative problem that the park and its neighbours are facing can help to provide more information. 

The need to understand the impact of gender on opinion is important. In order to understand whether gender causes difference on how individuals interpret information and view police as the body responsible for these issues can help in establishing clarity on the aspect of gender and its impact in understanding the issue. This information can be obtained in the analysis stage where determination can be made on whether the answers regarding police response on the issue differ according to the gender of the survey respondents (Emsley, 2013).

References

Braga, A. & Weisburd, D. (2010). Policing problem places : crime hot spots and effective prevention. New York: Oxford University Press.

Emsley, C. (2013). Crime and Society in England : 1750-1900. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

Greene, H. & Gabbidon, S. (2012). Race and crime : a text/reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE.

Miller, L., Hess. & Orthmann, C. (2011). Community policing : partnerships for problem solving. Australia Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Reisig, M. & Kane, R. (2014). The Oxford handbook of police and policing. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.

White, R. & Habibis, D. (2005). Crime and society. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.