Synergizing Intelligence-Led and Community-Oriented Policing for Environmental Sustainability: Evidence from Illegal Mining-Prone Regions in Ghana

This study examines how governance influences environmental sustainability in Ghana’s mining supply chain, with particular emphasis on the strategic application of intelligence-led and community-oriented policing. Drawing on Institutional Theory and Routine Activity Theory (RAT), this study employed a cross-sectional design with 382 respondents from the regulatory and law enforcement sectors, as well as community leaders and residents of selected mining districts in Ghana. Findings from structural equation modelling (AMOS) and Hayes' PROCESS macro show that Institutional Coordination Practices (β = 0.322, p = 0.002) and Transparency and Accountability Practices (β = 0.290, p = 0.002) substantially contribute to improvements in environmental sustainability. Among the variables, Intelligence-Led Policing was the most robust positive predictor (β = 0.391, p = 0.001), thereby confirming the importance of an intelligence-based strategy in the enforcement of regulations on illegal mining. Furthermore, Community-Oriented Policing mediated the relationship between Institutional Coordination and environmental outcomes (indirect β = 0.110, p = 0.001). In addition, Community Trust Capital contributed to the Community-Oriented Policing and sustainability connection (interaction β = 0.066, p = 0.006), thus emphasizing the importance of trust in the community-police relationship. Considering that Regulatory Enforcement Capacity is statistically insignificant (p = 0.367) in conjunction with control variables, Community Trust Capital still positively contributes to the overall robustness of the model (β = 0.184, p = 0.005). This study theoretically reconceptualizes governance as a relational behavioural system whereby the environment is shaped by the synergetic alignment of institutional goals, community participation, and locally adaptive control. In practice, the results advocate the integration of Intelligence-Led Policing and Community-Oriented Policing within national mining policies, fostering interagency collaboration and building trust with communities to achieve sustainable mining. The model is proposed for replication in environments where enforcement resources are severely limited.