Some questions we have received about Neighbourhood Watch.
Neighbourhood Watch is a method of developing close liaison between households in a Neighbourhood, the local Police, and the local authority. The aim is to help people protect themselves and their properties, to reduce the fear of crime and improve their local environment by:
| Improved home security; |
| Greater Vigilance; |
| Fostering a community spirit; |
| Improving their environment |
While Police statistics sometimes show a fall in certain categories of recorded crime, the overall figures are higher than those of only a few years ago. It is important that the Police and the Community, work in co-operation and partnerships to prevent and detect crime.
Individual schemes all have different characteristics, depending
on the area in which they are situated and their objectives.
However, most schemes have some things in common.
Each Police Division has at least one member of staff who is
designated to work with Neighbourhood Watch.
Schemes are run by their members through a co-ordinator and
supported by the Police and in many areas by a local Neighbourhood
Watch association.
Schemes vary in size from a few properties in sparsely populated
areas, to many properties on a road or estate.
The volunteer co-ordinator, who is a resident of the area,
co-ordinates the scheme and liaises with the Police. The co-ordinator acts as the voice for that Community.
All Neighbourhood Watch members take steps to prevent crime, improve
safety, and reduce the fear of crime.
Scheme members receive information and messages from the Police,
their local association, or local authority. This vital
communication link helps to motivate members and keep schemes
active.
The first point of contact is your local Police Station! The Police will be able to put you in touch with an established scheme, if there is one in your area, and your local Neighbourhood Watch association. If there is no established scheme the Police will be able to arrange for a scheme to be set up if others in the neighbourhood are also interested. In this case someone will have to volunteer to become the co-ordinator.
| Contact individual households in the Neighbourhood and arrange a meeting to discuss setting up a scheme; |
| Set-up and maintain a neighbourhood Watch within a specific area; |
| Communicate relevant Police information on crime within an area; |
| Act as a link between the scheme, other co-ordinators, the local Police, the local Neighbourhood Watch Association, and the local authority. |
There are a number of tasks a co-ordinator can become involved with,
and these can be discussed in detail when a scheme is set up.
Your first step in setting up a Neighbourhood Watch must be to ask:
| Do we want neighbourhood Watch and if so what do we expect to get from it in our street, village or estate? | ||||||
| Don't think about the broad benefits that Neighbourhood Watch
brings, like reducing crime or reducing the fear of crime. Think
about the specific problems you have and how Neighbourhood Watch
can reduce them. For example:
|
Every area has different problems. Some of the situations you want
to tackle will be unique to your area.
Once you've identified the problems you have in your area, think about the activities you want within your Neighbourhood Watch to help you solve them. In other words, what you can do as a group to achieve something. Activities could include a whole range of things including:
| Representation to the local Council; |
| Arranging for better communication with the Police; |
| Circulating information; |
| Holding social events so that people get to know each other; |
| Holding meetings to discuss problems. |
You need to think of the resources that will help you carry out your activities. Resources don't just mean money, but also things like:
| People's time; |
| Premises for meetings; |
| People's time is the most important rescue you can have, for without it your scheme will not run properly, so at this point the most important question to ask is; |
| Are we prepared to give the commitment to make it happen? |
The public are at greatest risk from Crimes such as burglary, car crime, and vandalism. These happen at all levels of our society but can be reduced by a really effective Neighbourhood Watch. In those areas where the schemes are operating, crime has been kept down significantly.
The first role is to observe calmly and discreetly. The very existence of Neighbourhood Watch in your area will act as a deterrent to many criminal types, but where someone is determined to take a risk it is not the intention that members deliberately attempt themselves to scare off the suspect in order to prevent crime. Remaining calm and discreet gives you the best chance of registering and reporting what you see quickly and accurately.
The fact that many of the calls made to the Police by members will
turn out to be false alarms, doesn't matter. The important thing, is
that the information is reasonably accurate. There are of course
some situations which are more urgent than others, where a 999
emergency call is essential.
