What is Neighbourhood Watch?
Neighbourhood Watch is the largest voluntary crime prevention group in the country. It is based on the idea of communities coming together to reduce crime and increase community cohesion.
History of Neighbourhood Watch
Neighbourhood Watch was first introduced in the UK in 1982. Police Officers visiting Chicago USA saw the benefits that such schemes were having in the community and decided to pilot it in the UK. The first Neighbourhood Watch Scheme was launched in Mollington, Cheshire and after a successful trial was expanded throughout the country.
West Yorkshire Police launched Neighbourhood Watch in 1985 and since then it has gone from strength to strength. We now have over 6000 schemes across the county.
Benefits of Neighbourhood Watch
People join Neighbourhood Watch for many different reasons, whether it is to improve safety around their home or to become part of a group and meet new people. It is widely regarded that being part of Neighbourhood Watch can:
- Reduce / prevent local crime and disorder
- Reduce fear of crime
- Address issues relating to anti social behaviour
- Create safer neighbourhoods
- Build community spirit and cohesion
- Reassure members of the public
- Enhance partnership working with other community groups
- Assist in the detection and apprehension of criminals through members providing information to the police
- Improve quality of life and the local environment
How does Neighbourhood Watch work?
Neighbourhood Watch schemes vary in size and geographical area. Some schemes may consist of only a few houses covering a street or cul-de-sac, whilst others may extend to an entire estate. Residents meet on a regular basis either every couple of weeks or every month to discuss ways in which they can tackle low level problems relevant to their area. Neighbourhood Watch groups are not expected to act as anti vigilante groups patrolling the streets, but are encouraged to be attentive towards any suspicious behaviour. Neighbourhood Watch Schemes often run campaigns promoting crime prevention advice that can be adopted by the average household, such as fitting extra locks and making sure that windows and doors are locked at all times.
How to set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
- Contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team (www.westyorkshire.police.uk/npt) to find out who your local Neighbourhood Watch Liaison Officer is, who can provide advice and assistance on setting up a scheme.
- Speak to your neighbours and find out whether other neighbours are interested in forming a Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) scheme. Whilst there is no official restriction on the number of households in a scheme, a successful scheme will operate with between 5 and 10 households.
- Arrange a meeting, inviting all those who want to be involved in Neighbourhood Watch. This could be at a designated home, community centre or even the pub. The NHW Liaison Officer or Police representative will be present at this initial meeting in order to explain how Neighbourhood Watch operates.
- Select a Co-ordinator for the NHW scheme, who will act as a point of contact with the Police.
The Role of a Co-ordinator
In order for the scheme to be successful, it is important that the Co-ordinator is a motivated and enthusiastic individual, who will be willing to act as the main point of contact with the Police and other NHW members. Whilst this need not be an onerous or time-consuming role, the individual must be prepared to volunteer enough of his/her time to ensure the scheme is properly organised and relevant information is shared amongst scheme members. This may appear to be a lot of work, but sharing information could be done by something as simple as email. Obviously, it depends on the individual, but the role of the Co-ordinator can usually be completed in as little as half an hour per week.
Alternatively, the scheme may decide to appoint a Deputy Co-ordinator who shares the workload. The Co-ordinator / Deputy will need to:
- Act as main point of contact with the Police and the rest of the scheme
- Hold or host meetings
- Encourage other members to be vigilant and contact the Police to report any suspicious behaviour
- Pass information from the Police to other watch members
- Keep a check on vulnerable residents and those that are away from home
- Encourage Watch members to implement crime prevention methods around the home
The Role of a Neighbourhood Watch Member
- Be alert to any suspicious behaviour or activity in your local area
- Report information to the scheme Co-ordinator, and in serious cases to the Police
- Monitor peoples homes whilst they are away
- Implement basic crime prevention techniques
- Support the scheme Co-ordinator in distributing information to the rest of the group
Neighbourhood Watch in West Yorkshire
Between September and November 2008, West Yorkshire Police organised a series of Neighbourhood Watch consultation meetings in each geographical division to find out what existing Co-ordinators felt about Neighbourhood Watch. Some of the results are summarised below:
Click here for results of the NHW consultation
We would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the contribution they made to the consultation events. The information is extremely useful and has enabled us to identify areas within Neighbourhood Watch that, with further development, should enhance the Neighbourhood Watch partnership in West Yorkshire and the service provided to co-ordinators and members.
Following the consultation meetings, West Yorkshire Police are intending to implement a series of proposals over the next 12-18 months to develop Neighbourhood Watch, and some of these may include:
- Creating stronger links between Neighbourhood Co-ordinators and Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) officers
- Developing links between Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) and other 'Watch' initiatives and community groups
- EnsurIng Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators receive the same level of regular communication from the Force, irrespective of where they reside within West Yorkshire
- Staging an annual Neighbourhood Watch event, bringing together Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators and Members from across West Yorkshire
- Creating additional opportunities for Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators and Members to become Volunteers in Policing.
Neighbourhood Watch is an extremely valuable asset to the Police Force; we recognise the hard work and number of hours that members of the public give voluntarily to make their communities a much safer place to live.
We are proposing to introduce the above recommendations to strengthen the partnership between Neighbourhood Watch and the Police Force, to ensure that Neighbourhood Watch remains firmly embedded in police activity and that in return we provide an excellent level of service to the thousands of NHW Members making a different across West Yorkshire.
Neighbourhood Watch Awards
Each year, West Yorkshire Police like to celebrate the hardworking individuals who make Neighbourhood Watch a highly valued asset to the police and communities. We want to share and promote the good work of Neighbourhood Co-ordinators/Members across West Yorkshire.
Therefore we invited NHW members to nominate people in the following categories:
- Scheme of the Year
- Co-ordinator of the Year
- Police Staff Award
- Association of the Year
- Long Service Award
After much deliberation, five winners were chosen. This year, one nomination for Co-odinator of the Year really caught our eye - a girl aged just 15 - making her the youngest Co-ordinator in West Yorkshire. We decided to give her a special recognition award for all her effort and achievements towards NHW.
Each of the winners thoroughly deserved their awards, and their contribution to NHW has been and continues to be outstanding. Here are just a few of the activities our award winners have been involved in:
- Forwarding quality information to the Police, resulting in a number of arrests
- Organisation of local youth events
- Coffee afternoons for residents
- 'Locks and Lights' initiative offering target hardening to elderly victims of burglary
- 'Beating the Bob-in Burglar' - distribution and fitting of door chains to the elderly and vulnerable
- Autumn 'Lighten up' campaign - displays at local supermarkets and distribution of thousands of low energy bulbs
- 'Screw it or Lose it' campaign - members spend a number of days at supermarkets fixing registration plates with tamper-proof screws.
- Stalls at local galas promoting NHW and crime prevention
- Purchase of carbon monoxide alarms
- Purchase of bicycle alarms
- Purchase of timer switches
It's amazing to see what a group of people volunteering a small amount of time can achieve. Their efforts have made a massive difference to their local areas, not only in terms of reducing crime but in community spirit, contributing to a community in which people are proud to live.
The Awards event included the winners and guests being treated to a tour of the Police complex which houses the Police horses, fleet of police vehicles and everyone's favourite - the Police helicopter! They were lucky enough to see it in action!
Awards were presented by Assistant Chief Constable, Mr David Evans, who said "Neighbourhood Watch volunteers put thousands of hours in every year, working with their local Neighbourhood Policing Teams and other local partners as an extra set of "eyes and ears". The work of the Neighbourhood Watch teams and other partners throughout West Yorkshire is extremely important in helping to reduce crime and disorder and fear of crime."
"By working with our Neighbourhood Policing Teams in the community in which they live and know, Neighbourhood Watch teams are a vital tool in the battle against crime."
The Neighbourhood Watch Awards will be a regular annual event, so start thinking about who you might want to nominate next year.
Neighbourhood Watch Contacts
Airedale and Bradford North
Catherine Winn Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Lawcroft House, Manningham, Bradford on 01274 376228
Bradford South
Howard Buckley, Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Lawcroft House, Manningham, Bradford on 01274 376228
City & Holbeck
Diane Winder Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Morley Police Station on 0113 2382045
North East Leeds
David Muscroft Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Killingbeck Police Station on 0113 2413639
Wakefield
Karen Vezina, Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Pontefract Police Station, 01977 601164.
North West Leeds and Calderdale
Do not have a Divisional Neighbourhood Coordinator at the moment, for further information please contact you local Neighbourhood Policing Team via the post code search on the NPT website.
Kirklees
Spen, Dewsbury and Batley NPT please contact John Ellis or Steven Blakeley Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Dewsbury Police Station on 01924 431041.
Huddersfield North, Huddersfield South, The Valleys, Kirkburton and Denby Dale please contact Dave Whitteron Divisional Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator at Huddersfield Police Station on 01484 436840.