Abstract:
This study assesses the impact of community policing strategies on preventing
substance abuse among youth in Moshi Municipality. The research focuses on
assessing the effectiveness of various communities policing strategies and
identifying the challenges encountered during implementation. Specifically, the
study identified the employed community policing strategies, assessed their impact
on preventing youth substance abuse, and explored challenges in implementation. A
mixed methods approach was utilised, incorporating quantitative surveys from 100
respondents comprising 60 youth and 40 community members and qualitative
interviews with 10 key informants, resulting in a total of 110 respondents. The key
informants included the Police Officer in Charge of the District (OCD), three Ward
Executive Officers (WEOs), three Ward Police Officers (WPOs), two Councillors,
and one Street Chairperson. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and
semi structured interviews, with quantitative data analysed through SPSS and
qualitative data analysed thematically. Findings indicated that community policing
strategies, such as youth partnerships and targeted awareness campaigns, achieved
moderate success, with 84% of respondents reporting positive outcomes.
Additionally, 68% perceived a decline in youth substance abuse, supported by a
10.8% reduction in reported cases from the Moshi Municipal Crime Statistics Office.
However, challenges such as limited resources, low youth engagement, and
inadequate communication persisted, with 76% identifying resource constraints as a
significant barrier. The study recommends increasing resource allocation, enhancing
community outreach, and fostering greater youth involvement to improve the
effectiveness of substance abuse prevention initiatives in Moshi Municipality.
