Title

COMMUNITY PERCEPTION TOWARDS LAW ENFORCEMENT
EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST RESURGENSE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS

Author(s)

GALAY, KHAIL GENSON O.

LAGATA, CHERRY MAE L.

VIÑA, JULIE B.

Affiliation

MISAMIS UNIVERSITY

Degree Program

Bachelor of Science In Criminology

Contributor

MALDEPEÑA, KRISTAL MAY V. - ADVISER

CULANAG JR., TEOPISTO Y. - PANEL MEMBER

GUPIT, ELMA FE E. - PANEL MEMBER

CUEVAS, JOSE JR. F. - CHAIRMAN

ORONG, MARKDY Y. - INSTRUCTOR

Year

2026

Abstract

The resurgence of illegal drug activities despite the presence of various laws against drugs showed the existence of a gap between the desired outcomes and the experiences encountered by the community, in terms of the effectiveness of law enforcement. This paper aimed to explore the relationship between the reemergence of illegal drugs and the perception of the effectiveness of law enforcement to fulfill the identified gap in practical knowledge. A descriptive-correlational design was employed to assess the perceptions of the community members on the effectiveness of the police in enforcing the law relating to the community interaction and trust, intelligence, and operations, as well as police visibility. Critical findings indicated that, from the perspective of operational matters, specifically Patrol Visibility and Prevention and Intelligence and Strategic Operations, law enforcement overall can be considered very effective. But from Community Engagement and Trust, the findings indicated that they were only effective and that police interactions with the public could be improved. They were also very positive about the role and influence of illegal drug use, indicating that it is a concerning factor and that it is still a serious worry for them. Based on the findings of the correlation study, intelligence and strategic operations were found to significantly correlate with decreasing drug availability and drug frequency. Conversely, there were no significant effects from patrol visibility and community involvement on the re-emergence of illegal drug substances. The conclusion drawn by the inquiry was that while the police had been successful in the use of intelligence and patrol activity efforts, the presence that was needed was not sufficient to address the ever-existing issue with illegal substances. This was indicated by the lack of a measurable impact in the initiatives aimed at involving the community. There is sufficient evidence that integrating effective community engagement with effective performance, as well as giving intelligence-driven enforcement its primary importance in disrupting drug networks, is crucial to maintaining safety within the public arena.

Keywords

community engagement, effectiveness of law enforcement, illegal drug, patrol visibility