This Report describes a study of Neighbourhood Watch carried out by the Urbecon Crime and Community Safety Unit in early 2004 for the Home Office, Crime Reduction Delivery Team.

The object was to consider the current activity and potential future development of Neighbourhood Watch and what might be needed to bring about improved effective working.  In particular the key issues to be addressed by the recommendations were

• What do the police need to do to bring about effective engagement and co-operation with Neighbourhood Watch to encourage active citizenship

• What do Neighbourhood Watch and the NNWA need to do to ensure effective support and co-operation with the police and

• What should central government do to help Neighbourhood Watch to become a more effective partner and encourage the police to engage more effectively with such organisations.

The report outlines the methodology for the study, (in Chapter 3) which involved postal surveys of police services and of crime and disorder reduction partnerships and a series of interviews with both volunteers and officials at local level engaged in the management and promotion of neighbourhood Watch schemes and with crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in thirty-six neighbourhoods.

The findings from these investigations and from examination of a wide range of documentation, led to the conclusions summarised in Chapter 5.  From these, a series of recommendations for action at national and local level was developed (Chapter 6).  The primary recommendation is for the establishment of a new National Community Safety Forum to bring together those organisations which represent, nationally, the different public and voluntary bodies which are concerned with the related issues of crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and environmental degradation at the neighbourhood level. It is proposed that the Forum should provide a facility for the exchange of information and experience and a publicly accessible library of good practices.

Further recommendations call for the National Neighbourhood Watch Association to commission an independent a review of its activities and structure as a prelude to assumption of a more focused role and for the development of clear policy statements by police services so that those who seek to initiate local schemes will know what level of support they can expect.