Running head: PROJECT REPORT 1 Police Strategies Addressing Generation Z By Randall Forster Applied Research Project Report Bachelor of Law Enforcement Studies LAWS 4003 Research Project Justice Institute of British Columbia Marie Graf, MA, Instructor Julia Spence, Sponsor, Research and Policy Analyst April 10, 2018 PROJECT REPORT 2 Abstract This research paper examines the various challenges law enforcement may have in adopting the appropriate policing strategies in order to meet the specific challenges that the emerging generation Z face in society. Qualitative research methods were used to interpret a collection of secondary data that derived a set of four main themes that any policing agency should be aware of when implementing these strategies into practice. The practices of the Saanich police Department’s (Saanich PD) community initiatives were compared with the data provided by various researchers to determine how well the agency practices incorporated the recommendations of research when developing their strategies. To conclude this paper, recommendations were made to help police agencies develop the appropriate strategies into their communities. These pertained to incorporating partnerships amongst other agencies in the community to provide a multiple disciplinary approach and to educate and create awareness on the traits and characteristics of this generation. Once these are implemented, it may allow agencies to focus on the individual needs of each case in order to prevent youth from participating in criminal activity and make the appropriate choices to become successful adults. Keywords: Generation Z, Challenges, Policing strategies, Social Media, Risk Factors, Values and Beliefs PROJECT REPORT 3 Table of Contents Background ......................................................................................................................................4 Research Question ...........................................................................................................................5 Literature Review.............................................................................................................................6 Search Methodology ....................................................................................................................6 Selecting Articles to Review ........................................................................................................8 Themes .........................................................................................................................................9 Characteristics of Generation Z ...........................................................................................9 Police Strategies .................................................................................................................10 Social Media Use ...............................................................................................................11 Challenges and Risks .........................................................................................................12 Theoretical Assumptions ...............................................................................................................13 Differential Association Theory .................................................................................................13 Social Learning Theory ..............................................................................................................14 Social Control Theory ................................................................................................................14 Research Design and Methodology ...............................................................................................15 Philosophical Assumptions ........................................................................................................15 Data Collection ...........................................................................................................................16 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................17 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................20 Findings ......................................................................................................................................21 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................23 Potential Ethical Issues ...............................................................................................................28 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................28 References ......................................................................................................................................31 Appendices .....................................................................................................................................35 Appendix A: Literature Search Graphic Chart ...........................................................................35 PROJECT REPORT 4 Background The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the key challenges faced by police when dealing with “Generation Z”. The generation deemed “Generation Z”, refers to those born after the year 2000 (Iorgulescu, 2016). Generation Z is an emerging demographic in society where they make up the populations taking part in elementary school or the populations completing high school. This is a crucial stage where many of the choices they make will greatly affect the opportunities they have in the future, such as attending post secondary school, obtaining the career of their choice, and raising their own families. It is important to point out that generation Z, were born into an environment shaped by the use of cellphones, internet and social media. This environment had a major impact on their attitudes and outlook on life in both a positive and negative way. For instance, despite creating an environment where people can communicate and spread information faster than any other point of time, these outlets have created many challenges for this generation with issues relating to cyber bullying, technology dependence and sexting. Without proper interventions, many of those belonging to Generation Z could be participating in criminal activities and acquiring deviant attitudes or behaviours at younger ages than ever before. As a result, it is important that police agencies prepare and plan strategies that specifically mitigate these issues and deter youth from participating in criminal behaviour in order to support the transition this generation makes from youth to adulthood, where they will play a greater role in creating the institutions that society adheres to. PROJECT REPORT 5 Research Question This brings us to the research question: what strategies can law enforcement implement to assist youth from engaging in crime related activities? To accomplish this within the project, the research will cover topics, such as challenges facing this generation, police youth strategies, long term affects of social media, and attitudes, values and beliefs of Generation Z. It is important to look at the challenges this generation is facing to understand the areas that have the greatest impact or areas that affect their chances to succeed. For instance, policing agencies may need to know the type of deviant activities to anticipate for, the potential risk factors affecting them, and at what age they should start to intervene at, etc. Policing youth related strategies is included because it is important to know the different practices that are currently used or may be used by policing agencies in various jurisdictions. In addition, this can be further analyzed to test the success in which they have as well as provide recommendations that could be beneficial if implemented. The long terms effects of social media are covered as it is one of the outlets that define the way generation z understand the world. Lastly, it was important that this project discussed the attitudes, values and beliefs of Generation Z. This is because policing agencies need to be aware and understand it when deciding how to approach youth in need of support, where certain strategies could be ineffective. One major omission excluded from this project is interviewing or surveying members of this generation. However, this is excluded for a good reason, as this population is below the age of 18, which would make it nearly impossible to pass an ethics review board. Yet, this should not affect the overall success of this project, because there will be plenty of secondary data provided through recent research, which can accommodate this need. PROJECT REPORT 6 Literature Review This applied research project seeks to answer the question: What strategies can law enforcement implement to assist youth from engaging in crime related activities? To answer this question, a detailed and methodical approach will be taken when reviewing literature. For instance, the literature will be reviewed on a step by step basis. First, the articles will be selected from various online databases through using key words, terms and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Second, suitable articles will be chosen to see if they fit within the overall scope of the research study, where a rationale will be provided explaining how they fit in. Third, selected articles will be described, explaining the importance a specific article has to the overall project. Lastly, the articles will be analyzed and separated into common themes amongst them. Search Methodology In this study, the literature was gathered using existing research conducted over various jurisdictions and researchers. To ensure that a sufficient quality of sources was included in this study, the research was primarily found in online databases. The libraries of post secondary institutions, such as the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) and the University of British Columbia (UBC), were the main sources of the research. JIBC’s online library was the first database that I went through. JIBC is the perfect fit for this project, because the library’s main area of focus is on the fields of policing and other law enforcement agencies. I was able to gather 20 journal articles from the JIBC database after 10 searches were completed. For my initial search, I conducted an advanced search in JIBC’s sub database Academy Search Complete. The terms inserted were “police strategies”, “youth” and “Canada”. This resulted in nine hits. Yet, when I included the limiters “full text” and “peer review”, this reduced the number to two articles and both were irrelevant to my topic. For my second search, I decided to change the sub PROJECT REPORT 7 database to JIBC’s Criminal Justice Abstracts. This search was unsuccessful as well and used the exact same terms and filters. For my third search, I decided to change my focus towards Generation Z’s attitudes and behaviours. This was the first search that derived a useful article. It also produced 2023 sources. However, this was conducted in a different sub database and had different terms and one more filter added. The term “generation Z” was used and the publishing year range was shortened to only include articles published after 2012. The reason why I limited the earliest date to 2012 is because the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) does not prosecute youth below the age of 12 and if my sample population is Generation Z’s born after the year 2000, articles included prior to 2012 would include people born before the year 2000 (Youth Criminal Justice Act, SC 2002).Two more articles were found amongst 323 results in this search once adding the term “policing strategies”. To close out my search on JIBC’s library database, I decided to return my focus on policing strategies, but instead of reusing the term “generation Z”, I used “youth” in two searches with one including “crime prevention” and the other “policing strategies”. From these searches, I gathered 10 articles amongst over 500 results and selected them as they fit within the scope of the research problem. UBC’s library was the next online database that was looked at. Crime and law enforcement may not be UBC’s main area of focus; however, it still contained sufficient number of sources to choose from. After three searches, nine journal articles were acquired in the last two searches. The searches conducted included the filters “full text”, “peer and scholarly” and articles no earlier than 2012. After retrieving a sufficient number of articles pertaining to attitudes, behaviours, social media, sexting and internet use through the searches conducted on JIBC’s database, the searches in UBC’s database focused on acquiring articles pertaining to police intervention and youth crime in Canada. In the second search, “youth” “crime” and PROJECT REPORT 8 “Canada” were used as the terms. This generated nearly 7000 results, with six articles chosen. For the third and final UBC search, three articles were found after using the terms “youth”, “crime” and “policing strategies”. Selecting Articles to Review A thorough series of searches conducted retrieved 31 peer reviewed journal articles from the online library databases of JIBC and UBC. The number of articles were reduced down to 20 due the difficulties that may come out of reviewing such a large number of studies conducted. This modified list was chosen as each of them relate to the key terms and phrases that specifically highlight important areas of focus within this research project. For instance, a few of the articles chosen specifically focus on the general attitudes, behaviours and characteristics of Generation Z, which separate them from past generations. These were chosen because it can help determine how these group of youth see the world, or their future aspirations and police agencies can align their programs to help them achieve this through deterrence of problematic behaviours. Secondly, several articles were chosen because they focus on the challenges this generation of youth face in their home and school lives. These were found when including the terms “youth”, “crime” or “generation Z”, and can help figure out what main issues are presented during their years of development. Lastly, most of the articles chosen relate to discussions based on effective crime prevention strategies and programs that can explain not only why youth can acquire criminal behaviour, but also explain how police agencies should counter these risk factors before they are too late. Once the abstract review was conducted, the number of articles chosen for the final review and analysis was reduced only by one. The one article was removed from the research because it did not meet the inclusion criteria, where the online database had incorrectly listed it PROJECT REPORT 9 being published in 2014, even though it had actually been published 10 years prior. If this was included, it would create further challenges relating to the validity of the project. The rest of the articles will be included for important reasons. This research study relies primarily on secondary data. With this in mind, because secondary data is obtained through prior research that contains different purposes, scopes and hypotheses, it is important that a variety of them are brought together so that it may be improved upon the original purpose of the study and provide new answers. For instance, this list carries a wide variety of different focuses and viewpoints despite sharing common themes amongst them. For example, regarding youth crime prevention, some of the articles focus on the application of Canadian legislation to address youth crime, while others focus on policing strategies that include partnership programs in the community, such as in schools or other organizations. This variety of approaches enable this project to contain findings that can provide more than one solution to the problem, which is far more suitable if this research were to be used across many jurisdictions. Secondly, the number of articles chosen cover multiple jurisdictions with some studies carried out in North America (Canada, USA) Europe (e.g., Belgium, Finland, Romania), and Oceania (Australia). Themes After reviewing the 15 sources of literature, they were analyzed accordingly to derive key themes, issues, solutions provided, gaps within knowledge and trends that appeared. Regarding themes, the literature reviewed presented several themes that could be highlighted. These include, characteristics of Generation Z, police strategies combating youth crime, social media use and challenges and risks faced by youth. Characteristics of Generation Z. The first theme relates to the characteristics of Generation Z. This was present in articles which identified and described general attitudes, PROJECT REPORT 10 values and behaviours amongst this generation group. This theme was presented in more than one view as some authors focused on how these characteristics can play a role in how they communicate with others where other articles focused on how it affects them in the work place or a school setting. Some of the trends shown amongst these articles is that members of this generation tend to have a dependency on the use of technology in multiple aspects of life. Technology is utilized for both leisure and business where generation Z are able to use technology in ways that allow them to multi-task on different activities so that they are able to maximize efficiency (Iorgulescu, 2016). However, there are some challenges presented amongst the research pertaining to gaps and debates. One of the gaps presented amongst this relates to how these characteristics of generation Z play a major role in their level of success in their lives. This is because much of this research is conducted in a time of their lives when they are just entering adulthood, creating potential difficulties in validity and reliability, perhaps, if a major turning point occurs in society. Lastly, there are debates on the general starting date in the years of birth in this generation. For example, depending on the sources, it could range from 1995 to the mid 2000’s (Williams, 2015). Possibly, this may not be concrete until subsequent generations are born. Police strategies. The second major theme relates to policing strategies combating youth crime. This theme has been shown in several articles where they each present a different way in how police implement programs to deter youth from becoming habitual/career criminal offenders. The theme of policing strategies has been presented in multiple of ways, ranging from their inclusion in schools, multi-agency partnerships, and aiding diversion measures through the court system. In this theme, the articles taken are written amongst several jurisdictions each presenting their own challenges specific to the context/setting. In the case where each PROJECT REPORT 11 jurisdiction can highlight issues that are present in their youth populations. For instance, some areas may have a high prevalence of challenges related to youth being members of dysfunctional families (Zimmerman & Farrell, 2017), where others simply suffer from challenges relating to the changing world that is addicted to social media use (Runcan, 2015). Studies have found that substance use in youth becomes an even greater risk when a parents problematic drinking is paired with neighbourhood perceptions and opportunities, where boys take after their father and girls take after their mother (Zimmerman & Farrell, 2017). In addition, there is a specific section in the Nightingale hospital in London, England specializing in social media addiction, as addictions have left patients incapable of tending to their basic needs (grooming, eating three meals a day, arriving at work/school on time) (Runcan, 2015). In accordance to the gaps in the knowledge available, many of the articles do not provide much quantitative statistics that exemplify the seriousness of the issue; instead, many of them use surveys or interviews covering certain jurisdictions instead of gathering large amounts. This can present challenges relating to the reliability on whether the policing programs can be utilized in other areas. However, it can be argued that perhaps policing strategies should be tailored specifically to one jurisdiction. Lastly, the articles relating to this theme has shown trends in the shift of policing. It is present that due to the changing requirements, police agencies are required to recruit officers who are educated and can adopt an approach that focuses on taking roles other than law enforcement (McKenna & White, 2017). In other words, they may need to be a mentor or perhaps a friend to youths as this approach is reiterated in the articles to be more effective (McKenna & White, 2017). Social media use. The third theme presented relates to social media use. This theme was presented in several articles where it is evident that Generation Z and subsequent generations PROJECT REPORT 12 will grow up in a world where boundaries are erased through the level of technology, which enables communication to be instant through the use of the internet and cellphones (Marganski, 2017). This theme ties into quite a few issues where older generations who were not born into this environment are needing to adapt and use social media in order to find common ground with Generation Z. In the case where police are needed to figure out how to combat issues like cyber bullying and other negative side effects of social media, many of them are not actually criminal activity (Broll & Huey, 2015). When social media use becomes problematic, it sparks a debate in the community, regarding how there should be strategies to ensure it is safe for youth to use. Some have proposed that there should be legislation adopted to create boundaries on what activities are prohibited, while others have taken the belief that it should be handled informally through education of proper use and how to conduct oneself if targeted by bullying or blackmail (Broll & Huey, 2015). Lastly, despite the problematic effects that stem from social media, trends have shown that it is here to stay and that it may become even more influential, which means if police agencies want to target it, they are going to have to take an approach that focuses more on containing the issue and working with stakeholders instead of eliminating the problem (Broll & Huey, 2015). Challenges and risks. The fourth theme relates to challenges and risks faced by youth which lead to criminal behaviour. This theme ties into most of the articles selected, where youth are vulnerable to criminal behaviour due to not only the choices they make, but the environment they grow up in (MacLean, Kutin, Best, Bruun & Green, 2014). This is presented in different ways, where the studies collected have an area of focus ranging from early age drug or delinquent activity, risk factors in the home, legal systems, cyber bullying and sexting. These all PROJECT REPORT 13 pose challenges for youth because if one issue is not affecting them, trends show the chances are that another one is (Görgen, Evenepoel, Kraus & Taefi, 2013). Many of the articles share common views regarding how to solve this issue, where it is believed that police will need to take on roles, which they were not required to do in the past, such as in the case of adopting a more flexible stance. For instance, the acceptance of taking on the roles of counselors and teachers by providing youth with a mentor or listening to their problems goes well beyond responding to a call and writing a report (McKenna & White, 2017). It is evident that because of this, there continues to be a trend for policing agencies that will seek applicants who are able to continuously learn new ways to effectively listen to the challenges faced by youth (Hendricks, McKean & Hendricks, 2010). Theoretical Assumptions A few common criminological theories were shared amongst many of the secondary data sources. These underlying themes were presented in various ways such as providing explanation on how youths were vulnerable for criminal risk factors or in providing solutions to address youth crime in society. Differential Association Theory The first theory was the Differential Association Theory as it was found amongst several of the articles. In this theory, it suggests that deviant behaviour is learned from personal groups and others they associate with (Bereska, 2014). This may occur in processes of interaction and communication as it tends to conform to the behaviour of those around them. Also, it is learned in environments where deviant techniques and motives are fostered over conforming to mainstream society (Bereska, 2014). In addition, this theory explains three factors that determine PROJECT REPORT 14 the group’s influence on a particular person. These include the frequency that one interacts with the group, the duration of time that they have been affiliated with the group, the priority or if they knew them at an early age and the intensity or how important the group means to them (Bereska, 2014). Lastly, this theory does not apply strictly to crime as it may occur at school or at work. Social Learning Theory The second theory was Social Learning Theory as it was found in a journal article pertaining to explaining the key influences of at risk youth. This theory explains that human behaviors are shaped throughout our lives by rewards and punishments through the use of reinforcements and conditioning (Bereska, 2014). In addition, this theory has been modified to include social factors influencing the difference in how people learn (Bereska, 2014). These include social organization, structure, theoretical defined structural variables and location (Bereska, 2014). This can be used to explain criminal behaviour as in certain environments, some are praise or have found approval in criminal activity (Bereska, 2014). Social Control Theory The third theory was the Social Control Theory as it was also found in the same article that explained key influences on at risk youth. In this theory, it focuses on the factors that prevent people from becoming criminals (Bereska, 2014). These can be categorized in four types of social bonds including attachment, commitment, involvement and belief (Bereska, 2014). Attachment refers to the emotional attachment one has or failed to develop with prosocial people, such as parents, teachers or peers (Bereska, 2014). Commitment refers to one’s value in being committed to proper conventional activities (Bereska, 2014). Involvement relates to one PROJECT REPORT 15 being occupied with activities that prevent one from having the time to commit crimes (Bereska, 2014). Belief relates to one’s belief in the conventional norms and values in society (Bereska, 2014). Lastly, the combination in the strength of the four bonds one has determines whether they may develop criminal behaviour. Research Design and Methodology This section of the paper will highlight part of the research study that introduces the reader on how decisions were made in choosing the most appropriate approach in addressing the research problem This section will also explain how this study was designed to extract valuable information in its findings so that it can provide recommendations in adopting policing strategies that address the problems of Generation Z. To do this, this section covers areas of the research study pertaining to assumptions (philosophical), data collection, and data analysis. Philosophical Assumptions This project adheres to a qualitative methods approach as it is the most suitable to address the specific areas of focus in this study. This was chosen over the quantitative and mixed methods approach for multiple reasons. First, qualitative methods focus on providing an interpretive view of events and behaviours to explain social issues. It primarily relied on the use of secondary data and it was important to utilize a method that is able to interpret data that was conducted with a different aim/goal in mind. If a quantitative or mixed method approach is taken, it would create unnecessary challenges when bringing together and analyzing different journal articles with multiple views on a specific subject. Incidentally, the qualitative approach is suitable because it is flexible and may adapt when new ideas or themes emerge through the research conducted (Schulenberg, 2016). Contrasting to this, a quantitative methods research PROJECT REPORT 16 follows an approach where theories and key concepts are established prior to the data collection (Schulenberg, 2016). This may be detrimental when conducting a research study that relies heavily on prior research conducted, because the research question and key concepts/themes may change at different stages. Secondly, it would be difficult to establish a statistical formula to measure results when primary data is not gathered by the researcher, as this project will be focusing on providing an interpretation after analyzing a few policing strategies implemented over various jurisdictions. Additionally, many of the articles collected may provide statistics over crime rates (i.e. incidents, charges, incarceration) where a statistical formula was already developed, which is why it would be more harmful to develop a statistical formula to interpret the results on a study which collected the statistics for a different purpose (Schulenberg, 2016). Data Collection Data was primarily gathered from secondary sources. These sources were taken from the online library databases of JIBC and UBC. Furthermore, a methodological approach was taken and after further reviews, exclusions were made to narrow down the number of articles selected to 15. These articles were peer reviewed and limited to articles published no earlier than 2012. Unfortunately, this project did not contain any primary data. This is due to the restraints brought by the ethics review, which restrict researchers from gathering personal beliefs and opinions from sponsors and those affiliated. Despite these restraints an officer in the youth and school liaison section of the Saanich PD was contacted, where my sponsor and the officer were able to direct me towards where I can obtain information regarding agency programs and initiatives. Also, the sponsor of this project directed me to Saanich PD’s website where it contains annual reports that explain the initiatives and programs they provide for the municipality. The annual summary reports have been collected for the years 2012-2017 and the 2018 annual initiative PROJECT REPORT 17 report has been collected as well. Within these, they describe the various strategies involved such as the community division which pertains to the research topic. In addition, it provides specific details on the goals they set out and a quick passage, explaining whether or not they accomplished them in the respective year. Once these documents were analyzed, they can be cross examined and compared with the research. Data Analysis Data was analyzed using five interrelated analytical strategies. This approach was chosen as it involves multiple strategies that helped ensure that the data gathered in the literature review provided a thorough and detailed explanation on the factors involved in the research problem. This analytical strategy began by analyzing the information provided in the 15 journal articles and by comparing and contrasting it with the programs that Saanich PD uses in their youth focused policing strategies. Once this was complete, I was able to determine whether Saanich PD has indoctrinated progressive measures to address the various issues that face this current generation of youth. The first strategy involved taking the data and fracturing it into short recurring meaningful terms or segments; this is referred to as codes (Schulenberg, 2016). Amongst the 15 journal article sources gathered, several recurring codes were found in each one. Initially, one of the major recurring themes found related to the various programs implemented in policing strategies as several articles contained codes pertaining to multi-agency partnerships, community initiatives, challenges in securing adequate resources, diversion and roles adopted by police. The second recurring theme carried terms describing personal characteristics such as adaptive, tech savvy, open minded, instant gratification, independent, entrepreneurial and capable of multitasking. The third recurring theme was found with terms such as sexting, addictive behaviour, PROJECT REPORT 18 instant gratification, social media and internet use. The fourth and final recurring theme was found with terms such as substance abuse, peer and family influence, environment, school experience, social problems, culture, stigma and education. The second strategy involves taking the codes and identifying key concepts or categories that can be separated. Based on the secondary sources collected for the study, the codes were fitted into four main categories/themes. These themes are characteristics of Generation Z, policing strategies, the use of social media, and key challenges/risk factors facing youth. The third strategy involves identifying the similarities and differences within the key concepts/ themes found before bringing them back together; this is known as the constant comparison method (Schulenberg, 2016). For the research study, the findings of the journal articles were held up against the practices carried out by Saanich PD. This was done to compare the effectiveness of Saanich Pd. and to see how their practices relate to what is proposed in research. Saanich PD’s programs are displayed in annual reports available to the public. These comparisons were made and organized amongst the key themes of characteristics of Generation Z, policing strategies, the use of social media, and key challenges/risk factors facing youth. In the reports, it explains the programs carried out, the methods they employ and how successful these programs were in accomplishing their beginning of the year goal. The programs pertaining to youth fit under the community initiatives section of the agency. This paper examined the programs implemented from 2012-2017 as well as looked at the programs that are expected to be implemented in the current year of 2018. The fourth strategy involves the practice of searching for disconfirming evidence to test the validity, reliability and the researcher’s ability to generalize the findings. For this research study, a significant amount of the research proposed that community policing and incorporating PROJECT REPORT 19 multi-agency programs is the sufficient way to mitigate youth from participating in criminal activity. However, this may not be true in all cases where evidence shows that it cannot be utilized in rural areas or draw benefits in certain demographics (Ricciardelli, Crichton, Swiss, Spencer & Adorjan, 2017). For example, in a study conducted in New Brunswick, it was found that traditional forms of policing were more useful in rural areas as seeking programs such as addiction problems or mental health were inaccessible or underfunded (Ricciardelli et al., 2017). If youth came into conflict with the law, laying charges or dismissing the issue may be the only option available (Ricciardelli et al., 2017). In regard to its utility being limited to certain demographics, one study found that alternative programs used on at risk youth was found to be successful specifically to white youth and that the benefits were not extended to minorities (Wong, Bouchard, Gravel, Bouchard & Morselli, 2016). This has been attributed to the general systematic issues that result in minorities being treated harshly compared to white people (Wong et al., 2016). A second difference was found in the attitudes of youth regarding how they can help youth refrain themselves from future offending. This was found in a research study conducted in examining vocational goals of young offenders, where respondents in the interview claimed that the best intervention for them was getting incarcerated (Bartlett & Domene, 2015). This was due to their belief that being incarcerated was a turning point as they realized the importance of obtaining a career and abiding by the law. However, this belief goes against the findings of this journal article and other research conducted as punitive measures have been shown to create further difficulties in limiting future educational and occupational opportunities (Jordan & Farrell, 2013) because they may become even better criminals through gang membership (Bartlett & Domene, 2015). PROJECT REPORT 20 Lastly, the fifth strategy involves seeking alternative explanations. This is important as there are potential confounds in the later stages of the study, which is why it is important to seek these as early as possible in order to have an adequate time to make adjustments. In this study, it focuses on providing recommendations in order for police to develop the appropriate strategies to deter youth from criminal activity. Yet, the potential success of these recommendations can be affected by critical changes in the world. For example, many past generations were influenced by major events, such as wars, introduction of new technology, or the economic climate. If a major change happens, it may drastically affect the needs of youth in Generation Z and how police agencies could address the problem. A second alternative explanation could be that police agencies do not need to create specific strategies to help deter Generation Z from committing crime. Since the introduction of the YCJA, the annual crime rates have been lower than ever before (Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002). For example, during the Young Offenders Act, Canadian youth incarceration rates were one of the highest amongst Western democratic states (Corrado, Alain, & Reid, 2016), which is why the YCJA was introduced as it initiated an approach that focused on police diversion and rehabilitative practices in intervention instead of incarceration (Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002). As a result, it can be argued that the current state of youth crime does not require any improvement on the part of the police. Discussion After completing the research design and methodology section, this has led us to the part of the paper which will discuss the meaning that can be drawn from analyzing prior research conducted and the youth related strategies carried out by Saanich PD in order to provide recommendations in developing policing strategies that address youth criminal activity amongst Generation Z. Some of these recommendations may already take form in the programs and PROJECT REPORT 21 strategies practiced by the Saanich PD and other policing agencies in Canada; however, it is important to point out that these recommendations may be beneficial for other organizations which may not had the opportunity or had been reluctant in adopting them in a manner that reflects the needs of their community. Lastly, this section of the paper will cover potential ethical issues that were present in this study and how it may have affected the results. Findings In accordance to the theme of policing strategies at least from the earliest reviewed annual report involved in the study (2012), Saanich PD has incorporated a community policing approach that entails creating multi-agency partnerships with those in the community by engaging with youth through reaching out to local schools and providing at risk areas with the support they need to prevent youth from becoming involved in criminal activity. This has taken shape through various forms such as by education, extracurricular activities, treatment programs and volunteer activities. In the year 2018, Community Liaison has brought forward an initiative to spend times in schools and educate youth on the negative effects and danger of fentanyl use and other drugs that have been found harmful in the past (Saanich Police Department, 2018b). Related to this, in 2016, Saanich PD adopted the “party program” where officers take on a role as a mentor as they assist youth in making smart choices and inform them on the potential risk and consequences for their actions (Saanich Police Department, 2017). This coincided with research that has urged police officers in creating a positive image with the youth has found to have a greater impact than taking a punitive approach that focuses on catching them committing criminal acts and punishing them (McKenna & White, 2017). PROJECT REPORT 22 A second comparison relates to the theme of social media use and communication, where both the research and Saanich PD have found that the use of social media is a crucial area of concern as it continues to have a major impact on how people and organizations connect and share ideas to move forward. One example of this is where Saanich PD has proposed increasing their involvement on social media (Saanich Police Department, 2018a). In relations to this, the research has shown that one of the defining characteristics of Generation Z is that social media permeates their everyday lives, and that using social media in a consistent manner can help Saanich PD be able to connect to this generation and be prepared for a future that involves issues that take place on social media outlets like Facebook and Snapchat. In addition, in 2017 annual summary report, it was found that social media issues pertaining to safe usage of sharing photos, cellphone use, cyber bullying and consequences of their social media habits exist as early as elementary school instead of their initial belief that social media education should begin in middle school (Saanich Police Department, 2018a). For the theme of characteristics of Generation Z, Saanich PD has incorporated an initiative called Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) that focuses on creating opportunities for their staff to develop leadership skills so that they can eventually absorb a greater role in the agency (Saanich Police Department, 2018a). This will be instilled through training their staff in developing skills in communication, counselling, ethnical cultures and intergroup conflict, etc. (Saanich Police Department, 2018a). This coincides with the values and aspirations that research found Generation Z seeks when choosing their employers, where generation Z’s desire advancement and being talked to in a way that values their involvement in an organization (Iorgulescu, 2016). Incidentally, this may lead to generation Z choosing to become future police officers. PROJECT REPORT 23 For the theme of key challenges and risks for youth, a comparison was found regarding identifying and providing treatment programs for high risk youth suffering from mental health or addiction problems. In 2017, Saanich PD found systemic factors that made it difficult for high risk youths in attaining the adequate resources in treatment (Saanich Police Department, 2018a). In the case where youth who have challenges are unable to get treatment because they have not been processed in the criminal justice system as well as those programs are just simply not available. A second comparison was found regarding understanding the need to incorporate an individualized approach so that the at-risk youth can receive the proper treatment that pertains to their needs as well as removing unnecessary resources being allocated towards them (Görgen et al., 2013). Recommendations The first recommendation to answer the research problem is that it is crucial that policing agencies develop strong ties in the community with not only their civilians, but also amongst agencies that can provide specialized knowledge and services. In today’s world of policing where police agencies have greater difficulties seeking the necessary resources to create and sustain programs and practices that can address specific needs in the community. Some policing agencies have proactively gone out and sought partnerships with other organizations that share the interest of addressing underlying factors that affect high risk youth in engaging in criminal activity (Meyer & Mazerolle, 2014). For instance, after years of relying on reactive strategies to deter youth in criminal behaviour, police agencies and social service organizations have found that cooperating in intervention is not only suitable in addressing the root causes that affect the youth in question, but also that in partnering together, it can eventually cut financial costs for both organizations (Meyer & Mazerolle, 2014). These partnerships can take shape in providing a PROJECT REPORT 24 service in a proactive approach such as through creating presentations based on educating youths on the future repercussions of risky use of social media (e.g. sexting, cyberbullying) as well as drugs and alcohol; or perhaps in helping high risk youth by assisting them to attain the services they need to help them transition into adulthood. This can take place through referring them with agencies that can help them with addiction or help them in their vocational goals such as educational assistance programs (e.g. financial, career counselling) (Bartlett & Domene, 2015). These partnerships are not met with their own challenges, where issues may occur when the partnership is between incompatible organizations with different goals and plans in mind (Meyer & Mazerolle, 2014). However, if there is a clear objective and plan highlighting the expected roles and capacities in which they will participate, adopting a multi-agency partnership can help in providing a plan in place that is based on the strengths and expertise of multiple fields which can greatly increase the overall level of effectiveness (Meyer & Mazerolle, 2014). The second recommendation for policing agencies is to raise awareness or educate themselves in Generation Z. After conducting research for this project, it can be apparent that the term “Generation Z” tends to be unknown or overlooked by those not only involved in law enforcements, but also in other fields of employment. Quite often, Generation Z gets lumped together with the previous Generation Y or otherwise known as “The Millennials” (Loveland, 2017). Even though they may share an ability to adapt to technology, studies have shown that Generation Z have a greater need of instant gratification and addiction problems to social media (Marganski, 2017). This issue can perhaps be explained by the fact that they were born in an environment that already had social media giants such as Facebook entrenched in the culture of society (Broll & Huey, 2015). As a result, it is important that policing agencies inform themselves on the specific needs and challenges facing this generation. PROJECT REPORT 25 To highlight these differences, one must examine how youth behaviour has changed over time. For instance, it is evident that that issues such as underage alcohol use and drug abuse is something that youths have experimented with for several generations; however, because social media is prevalent in this society, the ramifications for having these risky behaviours is far greater now than in past generations. This is because perhaps if someone does something embarrassing in nature, often it results in someone taking photo or video evidence and posting it online for others to see. In addition to receiving taunts and bullying from those online, it may also limit the opportunities of potential employers later in life (Broll & Huey, 2015). As a result, by educating themselves in the characteristics and challenges of Generation Z, it will enable them with the ability to understand why some of them may engage in criminal behaviour and by understanding that behaviour they can develop specific programs that target the root causes in developing deviant attitudes and values. The third recommendation is that potential policing strategies implemented need to take an individualized approach to ensure success. This can shape through handling each case on an individualized process, such as when an at-risk youth is coming into contact with the law, it is important that police officers are able to account for their individual needs when finding a solution (Görgen et al., 2013). For example, quite often youth tend to have a negative opinion of police officers because they believe that the police do not treat them fairly as they feel that the police’s actions and methods of communicating between them is one sided and disregards them as being someone that does not deserve respect (Murphy, 2015). People want to feel like they are valued and want to be seen in a positive view (Murphy, 2015). To counter this, if school liaison officer is able to get to know students on a personal level it may enable them to build trust and respect with the youth population and as a result, it may increase cooperation and legitimacy PROJECT REPORT 26 from them (Murphy, 2015). By increasing cooperation and legitimacy, it can provide benefits at times where youth are in need of assistance. For example, they might in turn seek the officer for advice in a time of need where if they feel that the officer is there to help them; this may reduce their fear that if they tell the truth, they will get punished (McKenna & White, 2017). As a result, this authenticity may enable them to be able to derive information that can help address individual youth’s issues (Murphy, 2015). In addition, studies have found that by building trust and respect in youth populations, it may make them more law abiding due to them developing a sense of belongingness and pride in their community (Murphy, 2015). It is important that when addressing risk factors in youth, there needs to be an individualized approach in providing treatment. This is due to how many different factors contribute to the overall make up of one’s personal characteristics and values. Influencing values could be a wide range of factors including their educational background (e.g. Performance in school, school opportunities, etc.), living arrangement (e.g. Single parent arrangement, foster parents, etc.), socio economic status of their neighbourhood (e.g. employment rates), peers and associates (e.g. drug use and alcohol activity) (Zimmerman & Farrell, 2017). Also, the way a youth may develop criminal behaviours may occur at different stages in life where changes in life circumstance can also affect their trajectory. Potentially, this creates further difficulties for police and other agencies. However, these issues can be addressed by due diligence as it is important that police intervention occurs early and through adopting a multi-agency approach as it may serve sufficient value in incorporating multiple approaches to find the best solution for an individual case (Meyer & Mazerolle, 2014). The fourth recommendation for policing agencies is to implement strategies that reflects the make up of the community. In the ideal world, the most effective strategy reflects the PROJECT REPORT 27 practices of community policing where the police agency is able to shape their policies and practices around the values of their community. For community policing to be effective, it is crucial that they develop partnerships with organizations within the community and take the time to create strong relationships and sense of interdependency with the civilian population (Ricciardelli et al., 2017). However, not many organizations are able to utilize the practices of community policing as it is quite expensive and time consuming to implement and even if it is implemented, there may be even greater challenges in finding a group of officers who are able to work together and sustain it. In relations to youth crime, even though many policing agencies see the benefits of developing programs that educate youth in proper social media use and the potential repercussions of drug and alcohol activity, many policing agencies do not have the resources and number of officers to make use of it (Ricciardelli et al., 2017). Many RCMP police agencies are in remote areas or small towns that do not have social service, mental health and drug intervention agencies immediately available (Ricciardelli et al., 2017). An informal approach can be taken to address this issue where if policing agencies are unable to provide specialized services, they can instead take extra attention in choosing the officers they have at their detachment. For instance, they can employ officers who can make time to build rapport with members of the community outside of their scheduled work hours. In doing so, if youth see officers on a regular basis and are treated in a positive way, this may help them develop a relationship with the officer where they may be seen as a role model, which can lessen the need for youth to seek validation from those who will have a negative impact on them (Murphy, 2015). PROJECT REPORT 28 Potential Ethical Issues In this study, a few ethical issues were presented throughout different stages. These difficulties stemmed from challenges in abiding to the constraints in following the strict policies created by JIBC for this research study. In the early stages of the project, there were questions regarding the boundaries of the scope, where there were difficulties in figuring out if members of Generation Z could be involved in the data collection process. Originally, this research study planned to interview members of this generation in order to derive their opinions and views regarding challenges faced by this generation such as social media usage. However, this would not work because the sample population is youth amongst Generation Z and they are considered a vulnerable population (under the age 19). Due to these restraints, the data collection methods had to be altered to ensure approval. The second potential ethical issue took place in the research design and methodology section and findings stages. For example, an interview was conducted with a Saanich PD member in the Community division. Yet, only a fraction of information provided in the interview could be included due to the ethics involved in this project. Instead, the information provided was used to help direct the area of focus this research study involve. Conclusion The goal in this study was to help determine how police agencies can develop the most appropriate and effective strategies in addressing the various challenges faced by the group of youth belonging to generation Z. To achieve this goal, a qualitative research methods approach was taken where this provided advantages in interpreting the social issues due to its flexibility to allow the research question and scope change throughout the course of the research study. PROJECT REPORT 29 This study was methodical in collecting data by taking a step by step process where the online libraries of JIBC and UBC were used to derive articles that could help provide understanding on the extent of this challenge. The articles that were eventually used for the study underwent a thorough process where they were selected after being reviewed. After examining several research studies related to the topic, a set of key themes were found amongst them. These included values and behaviours, policing strategies, the long-term effects of social media use, and challenges faced by youth. The theories of differential association, social learning and social control served as the foundation to many of the interpretations and solutions included in the research. A five-step interrelated analytical strategy was utilized where the practices addressing youth crime prevention of Saanich PD was compared and contrasted amongst the research collected. When bringing these components together it is apparent that there are systematic issues that affect youths across all generations. These include challenges pertaining to substance and alcohol abuse, risky behaviour, and negative relationships in their lives. However, unlike past generations, Generation Z have faced challenges relating to the realm of social media that has shaped their world. This makes it crucial that police agencies need to adopt new and innovative policing strategies that meets these demands. Four recommendations were made to help shape the decisions made by agencies. These include incorporating a multi-disciplinary approach, educating and creating awareness in the traits that characterize generation Z, adopting an individualized approach in order to meet specific needs of each youth and ensuring that if a strategy is implemented, it needs to reflect the make up and needs of the community. In doing so, these recommendations can help police intervention prevent generation Z from making the mistakes that limit the prospective choices PROJECT REPORT 30 that they can have in determining their future. As current policing strategies require interveners to focus on the root causes that create challenges for youth instead of punishing them from their mistakes. PROJECT REPORT 31 References Bartlett, J., & Domene, J. F. (2015). 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Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(10), 1310-1329. 10.1177/0093854816640835 Youth Criminal Justice Act, SC 2002, c 1, Zimmerman, G. M., & Farrell, C. (2017). Parents, peers, perceived risk of harm, and the neighborhood: Contextualizing key influences on adolescent substance use. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(1), 228-247. http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.jibc.ca:2048/10.1007/s10964-016-0475-5 PROJECT REPORT 35 Appendix A: Literature Search Graphic Chart Graphic Chart Initial Search: 57438 Articles Title Review: 20 Articles Excluded Articles: 1 Articles Abstract Review: 19 Articles Excluded Articles: 0 Articles Full Review: 19 Articles Excluded Articles: 4 Articles Included in Study: 15 Articles