How to Set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
If you wish to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area, there are a few things that you'll need to do and some issues that you may wish to consider. This is a list of useful suggestions from the Streatham Septagon NHW who are happy to answer questions - feel free to e-mail them if you need more help.
1. Register with your Ward SNT Team - Contact your local Safer Neighbourhoods Team to tell them you want to register. A member of the SNT will be pleased to attend your official launch and answer any questions your group may have. For residents of the St Leonards Ward e-mail the team via our webform here on the site or telephone them at 02087212621
2. Register with your Borough Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator - This is important to be officially registered with a number and liability insurance which they provide. They will also tell you how to get hold of leaflets, stickers and crime prevention literature. Complete the official Registration Form to register your scheme and send it to:
Karen Hunn PC 534LX
Lambeth Borough Met Police
Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator
Cavendish Road Police Station
47 Cavendish Road
London SW12 0BL
Office Tel: 020 8649 2644
Mobile Tel :07963 492298
E Mail: Karen.Hunn@met.police.uk
3. Order NHW Street Signs - The Borough NHW will give you the official forms. Select the lampposts that you would like to have signs on – note their number on the special form. Usually only 2 per scheme – 1 at each entry/exit point (each end of the road). In Lambeth you can send this form to Karen Hunn too. Normally they find the funding for this.
4. Appoint a Co-ordinator – The Co-ordinator is the key element of an effective scheme. The role includes maintaining the Watch and acting as a link with other Co-ordinators, the Police, the Safer Neighbourhoods Panel and the local Neighbourhood Watch Association when it is formed. The Co-ordinator’s duties include collection and circulation of Neighbourhood Watch material (e.g. newsletters, stickers, crime prevention advice) on a regular basis and ensuring someone attends the Safer Neighbourhoods Panel meetings to report on local issues. The Co-ordinator should be prepared to hold occasional meetings of his or her Watch. They should encourage members to report suspicious activity and publicise various ways to do this. The Co-ordinator might want to consider creating and distributing a Watch newsletter, should be prepared to find a venue and chair the Annual General Meeting.
5. Canvas your neighbours – Contact the residents of your target area, personally or by mail drop, to see how many are interested in forming a Watch. The more helpers that you have the easier the scheme is to run. Not everyone will want to help out, but they will probably welcome the idea and join up as a member.
6. Set your objectives – Have a meeting with the residents to decide the issues relevant to your area that you want your Watch to tackle. Do you want to have membership packs and if so what will you put in them?
7. Consider the size of the Watch – There is no upper limit but you should not aim too low. Around 50 homes is a manageable size for a Watch. If you live in a small cul-de-sac, for instance, consider including other, surrounding streets.
8. Consider appointing Street Wardens – Although delivery of material is rarely urgent, you may want to consider splitting the Watch into segments (about 30 homes each) and appointing a Street Warden for each segment. This way, the Co-ordinator distributes his or her local segment, plus single, bulk deliveries to the Wardens. If the Co-ordinator has no ready access to a car, one of the Wardens could, perhaps, be appointed to collect material from storage as needed.
9. Agree a Communications Strategy - Decide how often you want to meet as organisers and also how you will communicate with the whole membership. You should consider having an Annual General Meeting open to all residents whether they are members or not. Stay in touch with your local police and borough NHW contact. They will give you ideas and keep you up to date with latest developments.
10.Decide how you are going to stay in touch with your members - How often do you want to produce newsletters and hold meetings? Can you email people without ‘spamming’ issues? You could set up a website or have a page on neighbourhoodwatch.net for free?
11. Attend your local Safer Neighbourhoods Ward Panel Meetings – Neighbourhood Watch Schemes contribute significantly to the reduction of crime within local communities. It is important that you regularly attend your Ward Panel meetings to obtain updates and information from your Safer Neighbourhood Team about crime trends and patterns on your ward as well as an opportunity for your Watch and local residents to feed views and opinions about the local ward into the relevant police and local authority. Contact your local police station or look on the Met Safer Neighbourhoods website to find out when and where these meetings are held in your ward in Lambeth.
12. Consider funding – do you want to have newsletters, emails, websites, parties, produce fridge magnets with useful phone numbers etc. or do you want to do something more minimalist? Think about whether you just ask people to help out on a voluntary level or if your scheme is bigger think about organising a residents’ association get-together, street party or fund-raiser event to raise money. If you do hold money appoint someone reliable as treasurer and open a separate bank account.
13. Organise a “Launch” venue – Decide where the Watch is to “launched” and contact the undersigned to arrange a date and time. A member of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team will attend and bring along launch material.
14. Keep your scheme alive – keep up momentum with newsletters, emails, events and meetings so that your scheme stays alive and productive! Get others involved and do annual canvassing of members as people tend to move away or move into the area.
15.For more tips and advice -
www.neighbourhoodwatch.net
www.met.police.uk
www.homeoffice.gov.uk
www.crimeconcern.org.uk
www.crimereduction.gov.uk
www.stleonardsward.org.uk
www.met.police.uk/saferneighbourhoods
