NSfK:s 47th Research Seminar Oslo, Norway 2005 - Scandinavian ...

Youth participation in Police Prevention Programmes and
Youth’s access to drugs
Arnardóttir, Jóhanna Rósa
It is important in all societies to prevent children and adolescent from risk-behaviour. One of
the aim of the research is to evaluate the number of young people who have participate in
Police Prevention Programmes. Results indicate that most of the youth in Iceland have
participated in Police Prevention Programmes and there is a relation between the participation
and attitude to the police. Result from the research indicate that primary prevention offered by
the police will result in more social capital and reduce the probability that adolescent engage
in risk-behaviour. The discussion will be based on a national telephone survey which were
conducted in October 2004. The sample was a random sample of 1200 individuals age 18-20
years old. The respond rate was 68,5%. The youth seems to have easy access to drugs, where
about 62% had been offered drugs in their lifetime. Youth in upper secondary school are less
likely to be offered drugs than youth that drop-out or did not attend upper secondary school.
More men than women are offered drug among youth that are in school.
This presentation will discuss new research on youth attitudes towards Police Prevention
Programmes in Iceland, that Hugheimar Research Company in Social Science is working on
for the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police. In the research the youth’s access to
drugs was also evaluated. One of the aim of the research is to understand the view of the
youth 18-20 years old to the Police Prevention Programmes that they have received in relation
with their substance use, gender and schooling. Co-worker in this research is Elísabet
Karlsdóttir.
It is important to prevent adolescents from risk behaviour such as alcohol consumption and
drug use, that could lead to illness, injuries, premature death or difficulties later on in life.
Most of the Police Prevention Programmes in Iceland are situational crime prevention or
primary prevention, where the police visits the pre-schools, elementary schools and the upper
secondary schools. In pre-schools the children are educated about the traffic rules and about
the police, in elementary school they are also educated for example about the law and danger
of drug-use and alcohol consumption and penal record (Reykjavik Police, 2004). In upper
secondary school the police are mainly educating the youth about drugs and related issues just
to take an example. The Police are in co-operation with many institutions in the society for
example municipalities, schools, social agencies and voluntary groups (Crime Prevention in
the Nordic Context – The Nordic Model).
Many prevention strategies has been criticised for modest or mixed results in reducing alcohol
consumption or substance use (Botvin and Griffin, 2003; Skiba, Monroe, Wodarski, 2004).
According to Skiba, Monroe and Wodarski (2004) there is confusion among public and
professional communities about what really works in reducing adolescent substance use and
abuse.
Botvin and Griffin (2003) give an overview of major prevention approaches and conclusions
from selected studies testing these approaches. They found that strategies focusing on factual
information, self-esteem building, or better decision making were ineffective in reducing the
impact and extent of adolescents substance abuse. But prevention approaches emphasize on
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