Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch is one the biggest and most successful voluntary crime prevention movements. It originated in the United States and in 1982 came to the UK, where it fast became very popular. Neighbourhood Watch is based around the idea of an active community working in partnership with the police, and a shared value focused on bringing local people together. At its most basic level, Neighbourhood Watch consists of a group of like-minded neighbours getting together to help reduce crime where they live and making their communities safer.

Purpose and objectives

The main purpose of Neighbourhood Watch is to help people to protect themselves and their property and improve their local environment. The objectives of Neighbourhood Watch are:

to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour by improving security, increasing vigilance, creating and maintaining a caring community and reducing opportunities for crime by improving awareness of preventive measures;
to assist the police in detecting crime by promoting effective communication and prompt reporting of suspicious and criminal or anti-social activity;
to reduce undue fear of crime by providing accurate information about risks and by promoting community spirit and reinforcing a feeling of security, particularly among the more vulnerable members of the community;
to improve police/community liaison by providing effective communication channels, and by members informing the police of incidents when they occur.

A popular initiative

Neighbourhood Watch has become the largest voluntary community safety organisation across the UK. It has an estimated 10 million members. The 2008 British Crime Survey across England and Wales showed that in that year:

Neighbourhood Watch covered approximately 3.8 million households;
an estimated 16 per cent of households were members of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme;
75 per cent of households who were not members said they would join a scheme if there was one in the local area.

How does Neighbourhood Watch work?

Neighbourhood Watch works mainly by developing close liaisons between local households and police teams. Each Neighbourhood Watch scheme has a different setup and characteristics, depending on the area in which it is situated and its objectives. In other words, Neighbourhood Watch schemes do not follow a set structure. However, most schemes have these important aspects in common:

Schemes are run by their members, who all take steps to prevent crime and anti-social behaviou, improve safety and reduce the fear of crime.
Schemes are generally led by a resident volunteer co-ordinator, whose job it is to get people working together and make sure things get done. The co-ordinator liaises with the police and acts as a voice for the community.

Working together

Some schemes form local Neighbourhood Watch associations and in the City of Nottingham the schemes and associations have formed the City of Nottingham Neighbourhood Watch Council (CNNWC) which liaises with the Police and City Council at senior level and receives administrative help from both. The CNNWC runs an annual conference and works to promote Neighbourhood Watch and the formation of new schemes throughout the City. It is a registered charity, democratically accountable to the schemes registered with it and independent. It provides information about Neighbourhood Watch and complements the work of the Police who are responsible for issuing Police Alerts (see elsewhere on this web site).

Neighbourhood Watch schemes vary in size – they can be large, covering most of the houses on an estate, or they may involve just a few houses or apartments.

Traditionally, Neighbourhood Watch activities have focused on the immediate vicinity of homes, with members looking out for anything suspicious or helping their neighbours as necessary. However, more and more schemes are broadening their work to target a range of other problems such as anti-social behaviour, vandalism and graffiti. This complements the introduction of Safer Neighbourhood Police Teams and their regular meetings of community groups such as Residents Associations and Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators who thence prioritise the problems they have identified and wish to tackle. Neighbourhood Watch works best where there is a strong relationship between the group and the local police. The police cannot deal with all the problems and issues arising from crime and anti-social behaviour without the help of the community. Neighbourhood Watch volunteers thus have an important role to play in sharing information with the police about suspicious events in their area. People really can make a difference to the safety of their community by reporting what they see. Neighbourhood Watch also gives people the chance to get to know and help each other better.

Similarly, the police have a crucial role in sharing information about recent crimes in the area. For example, co-ordinators can be warned of local crime trends through the Neighbourhood Alert communication system and visits by beat officers and PCSOs. This enables the co-ordinator of the local group to warn residents, who then have an opportunity to take appropriate precautions to avoid becoming victims themselves.

Neighbourhood Watch roles

Neighbourhood Watch schemes rely on the involvement of local people. If you live in the City of Nottingham and would like more information about Neighbourhood Watch or are interested to start a Scheme in your area, please email admin@neighbourhoodwatchcouncil.co.uk or call 101 ex 8015297