Neighbourhood Watch
Our
Watch, a national organisation supported by the Home Office,
explains the benefits of Neighbourhood Watch with the following
statement:
"People join Neighbourhood Watch to make the areas where they
live safe, friendly and pleasant places to be - and it works.
The old stereotype of the Neighbourhood Watch curtain twitcher
is wrong for one very simple reason: it implies fear. Neighbourhood
Watch is about the opposite: making sure that no one has to feel
afraid, vulnerable or isolated in the place where they live. It's
about people looking out for each other, crossing barriers of age,
race and class to create real communities that benefit
everyone.
To explode another myth, Neighbourhood Watch groups are owned
and run by the people of their communities, not the police. So the
approach you take is entirely up to you. The most impressive
Neighbourhood Watch achievements result from members looking
closely at the needs of their communities and meeting them with
innovative and creative thinking."
Links to recognised Sussex based Associations including the
umbrella Association and the Sussex NHW Federation (where you can
download public liability insurance details) can be found in the
'Useful Links' section alongside this text.
How does Neighbourhood Watch work?
Residents in a street simply decide to set up a scheme. All it
takes is one person to pick up the phone and call Sussex Police on
101 for more information. Your local Police Community Support
Officer (PCSO) or Neighbourhood Policing Team will be pleased to
explain the easy set up process, which is completely free of
charge.
What is involved?
Once the scheme is in operation, residents go about their normal
lives using their eyes and ears, talk to each other and liaise with
their Neighbourhood Police contacts. You will probably be surprised
how friendly everybody becomes, and how quickly you can spot
strangers and unusual activity. Equally, your neighbours will be
keeping an eye open for trouble when you're away from home. Very
little effort is needed.
NHW in Sussex
In Sussex, Neighbourhood Watch has the following main
objectives:
- To reduce crime - By improving security, increasing vigilance,
creating, and maintaining a caring community, and reducing
opportunities for crime by increasing crime prevention
awareness.
- To assist the Police in detecting crime - By promoting
effective communication and the prompt reporting of suspicious and
criminal activity.
- To reduce the fear of crime - By providing accurate information
about risks, and by promoting a sense of security and community
spirit, particularly amongst the more vulnerable.
- To improve police/community liaison - By providing effective
means to notify Co-ordinators of local crime trends, and by members
advising the police of incidents when they occur.
- To increase community safety - By providing safety information
from other Partnership bodies such as Trading Standards and the
Fire & Rescue Service.
Additional benefits
Some Insurance Companies offer reductions in premiums for:
- Additional window locks
- Alarms
- Neighbourhood Watch Membership
Contact your insurance company and see if you are eligible as a
member of Neighbourhood Watch for any discounts.
NHW and Sussex Police
partnership
It is Important that issues are addressed locally to find local
solutions. The working partnership between Sussex Police and NHW
offers the opportunity for this to happen at grass root levels. The
Neighbourhood Policing teams regularly attend meetings in
communities and are always approachable about neighbourhood
concerns.
In addition to meetings, if you are a Coordinator for
Neighbourhood Watch, and have electronic mail you will also receive
local crime messages from your Neighbourhood Policing Team.
The Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation, set up in 1995 with
the full support of Sussex Police, acts as a forum, co-ordinates
resources, provides help to its members and helps to share good
practice across the County, as well as seeking to raise the profile
of Neighbourhood Watch. It also represents the views of our members
to the South East Regional Forum, and where necessary to National
Neighbourhood Watch.
The main purposes of Neighbourhood Watch are to promote good
citizenship and greater public awareness through Neighbourhood
Watch groups, increase public participation in the prevention and
detection of crime, reduce the fear of crime, improve
police/community liaison and increase community safety.
Neighbourhood Watch is about making sure that no one has to feel
afraid, vulnerable or isolated in the place where they live. It's
about people looking out for each other, crossing barriers of age,
race and class to create real communities that benefit
everyone.
Neighbourhood Watch is a "grass roots" organisation, run by its
members for its members and is one of the UK's largest voluntary
organisations. Anybody can join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
Usually residents in a neighbourhood who support the aims and
objectives of Neighbourhood Watch agree amongst each other that
they will come together and form a local scheme, with the help and
support of Sussex Police. This might be one or two streets in a
town, or even part of a street, or it could be an entire village.
Sussex Police maintains a register of all recognised schemes, and
checks the suitability of the local co-ordinator to hold that
position.
Useful links:
Our
Watch
Sussex
NHW Federation
East Sussex County Council - Community
Safety
West Sussex County Council - Community
Safety
Bognor Regis
NHW
Brighton and Hove NHW
Chichester
and District NHW
Crawley NHW
Hassocks
NHW
Horsham NHW
Lewes
NHW
Littlehampton Town Ward & District NHW
Rother NHW
Rustington NHW
Steyning NHW
Wadhurst
NHW
Sussex NHW model
Service Level
Agreement
Interrelationship between NHW and Sussex Police