About Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch (in some areas known as Home Watch), is one of the biggest and most successful crime prevention schemes ever. It is based on simple ideas and values that are shared by many people around the country:

'Getting together with your neighbours to reduce local crime and disorder in the bid to make your neighbourhood a safe and better place to live, work and play'.

• Neighbourhood Watch is not just about reducing crime – it is about building community spirit and good relations. It brings local people closer together with common goals; to tackle crime and disorder and to keep an eye on each other's property.
• There are also other benefits of joining a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. For example, you can learn more about crime prevention and home security which will help keep your home and belongings safe. You might also get a discount on your home insurance.
• Most crime is opportunist, committed on the spur of the moment. And a home that has been burgled it is more likely to be burgled again than a home that hasn't. This means that there is enormous scope for reducing the chances of criminals, and Neighbourhood Watch schemes do just that by forming protective cocoons.

The aims of Neighbourhood Watch schemes are:

• To reduce the opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour to occur in your neighbourhood by deterring would-be burglars and vandals.
• To build a community spirit so that all residents can contribute towards the protection of their property through co-operation and communication.
• Members of Watch schemes are not vigilantes. Patrolling the streets is a job for the police; they will act upon the information supplied by residents. Watch schemes are not police-run groups. However, in order to be effective in tackling crime, Watch schemes have to work in partnership with the police (and other agencies).
• By letting the police know of anything suspicious that you see or hear, you are helping to reduce the opportunities for crime to occur. The more difficult it can be made for the criminal, the more likely it is that crime can be reduced.
• To act as a channel of communication - passing on timely information to the community and from the community to the police - to help prevent and detect crimes.

There are actually many reasons that people have for starting a Watch:

• your neighbourhood may be experiencing problems
• you want to pull your community together
• you want to reduce crime in your area
• you want to raise your and your neighbours' quality of life
• car crime
• vandalism
• nuisance youths
• bogus callers
• burglaries
• problem tennancies
• You may just want to protect your own homes by watching out for each other - that's fine!

Some of the above text has been sourced from the Home Office Crime Reduction website with permission.