Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Map the drug activity in your neighborhood
• Method 2 of 3: Reduce drug activity in your area
• Method 3 of 3: Prevent drug activity in your neighborhood
• Tips
• Warnings

Drugs can cause problems in any neighborhood. While abandoned homes and parking lots are ideal for drug dealers, these aren't the only places drug deals can be clinched. Some people sell drugs in their own homes, even people who live in cozy suburban dead-end streets. Understandably, you would rather see this threat removed from your ward, and there are steps you and the community can take. However, you should avoid confronting drug dealers directly and you should never take matters into your own hands. Work together as a team and remember that sometimes safety depends on how many people are behind you.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Map the drug activity in your neighborhood

1. Talk to your neighbors and other owners in the neighborhood. It will be easier to spot, stop, and prevent drug activity in your ward if you work together. Your neighbors may have noticed things that have escaped you and vice versa!
2. Watch for suspicious behavior. If you think drug deals are going on in your ward, keep an eye out for warning signs. Visitors at strange times, closed windows and strange smells can indicate drug activity.
   • A lot of foot traffic to and from a home and litter can indicate that illegal business is taking place.
   • Another suspicious pattern is many cars stopping in front of the house for a short time and then leaving.
   • Other possible signs of drug activity include graffiti and gangs active in your neighborhood, although not always related.
3. Watch out for drug paraphernalia. Strangely enough, people can be very carefull about hiding drug paraphernalia such as hypodermic needles and pipes, even when police patrol the area. If you notice these things, call the police.
   • If you find evidence of drug paraphernalia, don't collect it or look for additional evidence. Write down where you found them, what kind of paraphernalia they were, and at what time you found them, and report these details to the police.
4. Write down as much detail as possible. Always keep it safe and do not approach potential dealers, but gathering details about the activities you see can help the police take appropriate action. If the drug dealer lives nearby, you can often record the activities safely from your home.
   • If you notice suspicious traffic, make a note of the number plates, car models and colors, and the time of the visits.
   • If you are concerned about a particular individual, write down a detailed description including height, build, hair color and other characteristic traits. Also add the circumstances that have aroused your suspicion.
   • Be careful if you think this could be a dangerous situation. Do not openly collect information or take pictures or do other things that could challenge a hostile dealer. Don't forget: if they are active in your neighborhood, chances are they know who you are.
5. Contact the police. You can choose to remain anonymous if it makes you feel safer. Provide the police with as much detail as possible about the situation you have seen: where you think the drug dealers are operating, what they look like, when their customers come by, how many cars you have seen, etc.
   • Call from a safe place. Do not call where potential dealers can see or hear you. Never tell potential dealers that you will call the police.
   • Always contact the police and let them handle the drug activities. Trying to stop these crimes yourself could harm you or others. It can also cause difficulties in court later on.

Method 2 of 3: Reduce drug activity in your area

1. Start a neighborhood watch. Neighborhood guards are often effective in getting drug dealers out of your ward. They can help reduce criminal activity by creating an environment where drug deals are no longer possible. However, it is important to work with the police so that members of the neighborhood watch are properly trained and informed.
   • Post signs and make the presence of the neighborhood watch public. Knowing that the environment is under surveillance will often convince dealers to leave your neighborhood and move their operations to an area where there is less control.
   • Never attempt to apprehend a drug dealer yourself. This only creates a situation where people can be seriously injured or even killed.
2. Provide togetherness. A whole community working together will be much more efficient than trying to take action yourself. It has been proven that togetherness can have a significant impact on drug dealers in a neighborhood.
   • Meet with neighbors and make plans to hang out positively, with community members doing things like sweeping the streets, picking up trash, and other activities where drugs are sold. The constant presence of people can deter drug dealers who work in public places.
   • Attend community meetings together. Many communities hold meetings for safety training, police training, and other events and activities where you can learn more about how to keep your neighborhood safe.
3. Meet in a safe place to discuss issues. If you live in a dangerous neighborhood, it may be better not to hold community watch or community meetings there. Instead, look for a public place such as a church or community center or perhaps a small local business. Even meetings a few blocks away can make members feel more secure.
   • In any case, avoid congregating in someone's house, as that house could become a target for the dealers to get revenge.
4. Inquire about local improvements. Places such as vacant lots are ideal territory for drug dealers. Contact the municipality to see if the areas can be converted into parks or playgrounds. Your community may even succeed in making the neighborhood more beautiful. Removing possible places to deal will drive drug dealers out of your neighborhood.
5. Please contact the owner. If the home you suspect drug sales is a rental property, contact the owner and help him or her take action.
   • If you do not know who is responsible for it, the Land Registry or the municipality may be able to provide information about the owner.
6. Contact the municipality regarding neighborhood problems. Issues such as broken streetlights, abandoned cars and fences in poor condition can open up opportunities for drug dealers. Taking actions such as having street lights repaired and abandoned cars towed are small solutions, but they can be very effective.
7. Look for safety programs that help eliminate drug dealers. Many local police departments work with the community in specific programs to combat drug activity. Ask about how these things work so that everyone's safety is assured.

Method 3 of 3: Prevent drug activity in your neighborhood

1. Encourage the sense of community. Drug dealers look for places where neighbors don't talk to each other and where people are often isolated. This allows them to easily intimidate people who notice them. A strong, active and positive community is one of the best defense mechanisms against drug dealers.
   • Organizing activities such as cooking with the community, neighborhood parties and other events can help you get to know your neighbors and make your community closer and stronger.
2. Collaborate with small businesses, local offices and churches. See if they want to help clean and renovate run-down shops and parking lots. This can even employ people who would otherwise turn to drugs.
3. Provide a youth center in your ward. Sometimes young people come into contact with drugs because they don't see better options. A youth center can provide alternative activities for young people.
   • Work with local churches, businesses, social services and the police to provide the right resources and training. Young people can be very effective in making peers anti-drugs.
4. Organize drug education programs in your neighborhood. Schools, churches, and the police will usually have the appropriate resources to organize a drug prevention event to educate people about the dangers of drugs and how to prevent drug activity in your ward.

Tips

• Children need alternatives to drugs, so make sure your community offers plenty of options.
• Remember that graffiti, behavior that seems strange to you, and even the presence of gangs do not necessarily mean that a drug dealer is active in your neighborhood. Be careful, but don't jump to conclusions.

Warnings

• Always let the police deal with potential drug dealers.Trying to arrest a drug dealer yourself could put yourself and others in serious trouble, sometimes even leading to death.
• Use common sense when dealing with potential drug activity. Do not openly threaten drug dealers or do anything that could make you feel unsafe. Do not provoke revenge.