Neighbourhood watch

What is Neighbourhood Watch?

Neighbourhood Watch is a crime prevention initiative promoting community safety, by reducing crime, opportunities for crime and fear of crime and by enhancing good citizenship and community spirit.

Neighbourhood Watch is all about an active partnership with the police.

Neighbourhood Watch schemes can:

• Cut crime and the opportunities for crime
• Help and reassure those who live in the area
• Encourage neighbourliness and closer communities

Set up a Neighbourhood Watch in your area

If you would like to set up a Neighbourhood Watch in your area, or find out if one already exists contact Bill Nisbet, Neighbourhood Watch Liaison Officer on 020 8345 3178.

What’s involved?

• Neighbourhood Watch schemes can be large, sometimes including most of the households on an estate or they can be as small as one road with a handful of houses
• A scheme is generally led by a volunteer co-ordinator whose job it is to get people working together and making sure things get done
• As well as the co-ordinator, there is usually a committee. Committees meet regularly to plan which problems to target and what action to take. 60% of the road needs to agree to the scheme and a volunteer elect to become its co-ordinator
• Schemes keep in close touch with local police to share information and advice
• The co-ordinator lets the police know what is happening in their area and the police release information to them to share with the neighbourhood
• The co-ordinator produces a newsletter and organises quarterly meetings (all literature and materials are provided)

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