Police Responses to the Methamphetamine Problem: An analysis of the Organizational and Regulatory Context

Abstract

This paper focuses on the operational adoption and implementation of partnership policing strategy as applied to the methamphetamine problem. The study involves drug law enforcement officers employed in State-based, law enforcement agencies across three Australian police organizations. Using innovations and organizational change perspectives, the study examines the contextual factors that influence the translation of partnership strategies into operational drug law enforcement practice. The research found that partnership policing is influenced by factors across organizational, operational and regulatory contexts. The process of partnership policing implementation can be better understood through an analysis of the legislative- versus voluntary-based operation of police partnerships and the commitment by organizations to providing resources, management support, performance systems and organizational structure and policies that support these strategies.