Neighbourhood Watch
What is Neighbourhood Watch?
Neighbourhood Watch is a partnership of residents working with the police and other agencies to reduce crime and the fear of crime in their community. Members of a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme are much less likely to be a victim of crime.
Neighbourhood Watch aims to:
- Reduce the opportunities for crime by making it more difficult for the criminal
- Reinforce the local community spirit so that neighbours work together
- Help the police to reduce crime and bring criminals to justice
There are other benefits to Neighbourhood Watch schemes. You will become familiar with crime prevention ideas, which will help keep your home and belongings safe. Being a member of Neighbourhood Watch might even mean that you can get a premium discount from your insurance company.
How does a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme work?
A Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is formed by the residents. Schemes can be large, covering for example a whole estate, or they might involve just half a dozen houses. A Scheme is generally led by a co-ordinator who is the link between the residents, other local schemes and the police. This communication link provides the basis for a two-way information flow on crime and policing in your area, on crime prevention advice and access to your local Beat Officer.
There is a lot that a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme can do:
- Build a picture of local crime
- Identify the opportunities for crime and block or reduce them
- Target local crime problems and take action to prevent them
- Share crime prevention ideas to protect your home and belongings
- Report suspicious activity to the police
- Report environmental issues such as vandalism or graffiti
How to set up your own Neighbourhood Watch Scheme?
The usual steps in forming a new Scheme are:
- Contact your Local Beat Officers to check whether a Scheme is already in place
- Talk to your neighbours to see how much interest there is
- Talk to a co-ordinator of an existing scheme
- Set up a meeting of the residents with your Beat Officer
- Decide on a co-ordinator, deputy or perhaps a committee to keep the scheme running
- Decide on issues such as subscription to pay for signage etc.
- Complete the registration process and await scheme authorisation
- Obtain welcome to distribute to members
Contact for more information :
For more information on Neighbourhood Watch Schemes in Rushmoor:
- Phone your local beat team on 0845 045 4545
- Rushmoor Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
www.rnwa.org.uk
Links to other Neighbourhood Watch websites
- Home Office Neighbourhood Watch
www.neighbourhoodwatch.uk.com - National Neighbourhood Watch
www.neighbourhoodwatch.net
