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How do you set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme?
To find out if your area has a Neighbourhood Watch scheme contact your local police station. If you do not have a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area you can consider setting one up. The National Neighbourhood Watch Association can send you an information pack and your local police station will also be able to help you.

• Contact your local police station.
• They will tell you if your street is covered by a NW scheme.
• If it is not they will tell you how to set one up.
• You will need to ask your neighbours if they also want to set up a scheme. This might be via a questionnaire or a public meeting.
• If your neighbours agree then the police will register you as an official scheme and supply you with window stickers and street signs.
• They will also supply crime prevention literature you can circulate in your street.

How do Neighbourhood Watch schemes work?
Neighbourhood Watch schemes can be as large or small as you want. They can cover all of the households on an estate or just half a dozen houses in a cul-de-sac. It depends on the area and what people living there want.

A scheme is generally led by a volunteer co- ordinator whose job is to get people working together and make sure things get done. As well as the co- ordinator there is usually a committee who meet regularly to plan which problems to target and what action to take. Schemes keep in close touch with the local police to share information and advice.

What can Neighbourhood Watch schemes do?
They can target crime problems and take action to prevent them. In consultation with the local police they can find out from local people what crimes most concern and affect them and focus on those specific problems.

Most crime is opportunist, committed on the spur of the moment, or when a car or house is left unlocked. This means there is enormous scope for reducing chances for criminals.

Traditional Neighbourhood Watch activity has focused on the immediate vicinity of homes. However, more and more schemes are now broadening their range of work.

Local problems such as vandalism and graffiti are well within the scope of a well-organised Neighbourhood Watch scheme. You can also take action such as fitting more secure door and window locks in vulnerable homes. You could also lobby the local authority, for example, to improve street lighting or step up the security of a communal entrance.

National Neighbourhood Watch Association
National Neighbourhood Watch Association was formed in 1995 to promote, support and represent the Neighbourhood Watch movement. It has now adopted as its mission statement:-

"To make Neighbourhood Watch a Centre of Excellence for Community Safety."

It has also decided upon the following strategic objectives:-

"To champion the Neighbourhood Watch movement and support key members/ partners in reducing crime and improving community safety.

"To develop NNWA policy, programmes and best practice.

"To represent the Neighbourhood Watch movement nationally (to government, the media, business, other agencies and the wider movement) in order to achieve greater public participation and awareness of our aims."

www.neighbourhoodwatch.net

Telephone - 0207-772 3348
Fax - 0207-772 3460

E-mail - info@nnwa.org.uk

Registered Charity Number - 1049584