Different neighbourhoods have different issues that affect the social lives of people. However, some of these problems such as crime rates are not specific to single areas. They generally affect the contemporary society. Community policing, also known as community-oriented policing has been identified to be one of the most efficacious strategies of dealing with such issues in the local neighbourhoods because it emphasizes on the communities working in coherence with the police forces (Donnermeyer, DeKeseredy " Dragiewicz, 2016). This paper identifies the problems experienced in Applewood Avenue, a community in the west end of Toronto, Canada which requires solutions. It also addresses the potential solutions that the police, social and government agencies and the community could implement to eradicate these issues.
Problems in Applewood Avenue
One evident problem that requires an immediate solution is the issue of vandalism of public property. Vandalism has been rampant in the area as evidenced by broken lights in the Apple Groove park, graffiti on children’s playground equipment, and distorted traffic signs. This issue has resulted in many security threats in the area. For instance, lack of enough lighting has resulted in many dark spots in the community which have been linked to insecurity. Similarly, the distorted traffic sign from a speed limit of 50km/h to 80km/h has resulted in many cases of over speeding. Hence, there is a desperate need to address the problem of vandalism in Applewood Avenue.
Another issue in the area that needs to be solved is environmental pollution. Broken beer bottles, fast food containers, coffee cups, paper, and pop can constitute some of the things that litter the park and the surrounding of the neighbourhood. These pollutants pose health hazards to the children playing in the parks and also the general health of the public.
Furthermore, the problem of negligence by the local authorities is eminent. The burn out lights have not been replaced and those blocked by trees dealt with. Similarly, the dark and secluded areas in the community have not been solved to ensure people’s safety. Also, the vandalism problem needs to be addressed as soon as possible because it presents the highest threat to the community.
Finally, the problem of drug abuse and lack of substance abuse awareness needs to be solved. The presence of hypodermic needles in the Apple Groove park implies that the community needs to improve drug abuse awareness on its young people.
Potential Solutions
The problem of vandalism can be solved by a community policing approach. The community should report such cases to the local authorities. Similarly, there is a need for increased police patrol both at night and during the day to prevent damage to public property. The problem of negligence could be solved by replacing the heads of the local governments with the natives who have the interests of the community at heart. There is also a need for New Environmental Governance (NEG) which would emphasize integration, participation, and collaboration of local citizens to prevent environmental pollution (Holley " Shearing, 2016). Also, government agencies should organize environmental seminars in the area to increase awareness.
Substance awareness seminars are also imperative to educate young people about the dangers of drug abuse. On the other hand, a pre-crime community would be necessary for monitoring and preventing crimes such as vandalism of property, insecurity and traffic-related offences by installing CCTV cameras. This unit could be effective with the help of both the police and local citizens (Sanders, Weston, " Schott, 2015).
In conclusion, Applewood Avenue has problems such as environmental pollution, traffic offences, substance abuse, vandalism, negligence by the local authorities which need to be addressed. The potential solutions explained in this paper would significantly mitigate these issues when they are implemented.
References
Donnermeyer, J. F., DeKeseredy, W. S., " Dragiewicz, M. (2016). Policing rural Canada and the United States. In Rural Policing and Policing the Rural (pp. 37-46). Routledge.
Holley, C., " Shearing, C. (2016). Environmental Policing: Harms, Enforcement and Collaboration. SAGE Handbook of Global Policing. London: SAGE Publications.
Sanders, C. B., Weston, C., " Schott, N. (2015). Police innovations, ‘secret squirrels’ and accountability: Empirically studying intelligence-led policing in Canada. British journal of criminology, 55(4), 711-729.
