YOUR COMMUNITY
Security of your home does not start with the doors and windows. Security and safety starts in the wider community. A caring community can have many benefits which can extend beyond crime prevention and community safety.
YOUR NEIGHBOURS
There is nothing like good neighbours to make your home secure. Not through ‘nosiness’, rather a common concern for others. Community spirit can go a long way towards making an area more pleasant – and safer – to live in. You don’t need to live on each others `doorsteps`, but neighbourliness can be a first move towards a safer community.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Neighbourhood Watch deals mainly with the development of the community on a smaller scale than the organisations mentioned above. It naturally follows that people who are concerned about their neighbourhood become aware of crime prevention. “My Neighbours are away, what can I do to look after their property? Will they do the same for me?”
It is easy to shrug of the idea of crime; assuming it won’t happen to you, or that nothing can be done anyway. This simply is not true. A great deal can be done by the residents in a community, by assisting the Police in their role. The Police cannot be everywhere at all times. It is up to the residents to help protect their property and their community.
Residents have a unique knowledge of the area and people who reside there, which even the local Policeman would find hard to achieve. A passing policeman would not recognise a stranger in a garden or walking in the street, however a resident or neighbour would.
Neighbourhood Watch need not be reactive in their role. They can also be pro-active in anticipating likely problems and dealing with them in advance. For example, letting a resident know their child has left a cycle lying out after they have gone to bed, or letting them know they have inadvertently left the garage door open, allowing all to see the garage contents.
One group organised small meetings in parents homes for the young children and invited the local Policeman to show them a video and talk on Stranger Danger and Road safety.
Neighbourhood Watch is not solely about preventing crime, it is about the safety of the residents as well!
The aims of Neighbourhood Watch:
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Members of Neighbourhood Watch are not vigilantes. Patrolling the streets is a job for the Police. They will act upon information supplied by the residents.
If you want to help the Police in the most direct way of all, why not volunteer to be a Special Constable. You can obtain details from your local Police office or Police Headquarters. |
| If you area interested in Neighbourhood Watch then why not contact Neighbourhood Watch Scotland or ask at your local Police office for details. | |
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