Neighbourhood Watch
Neighbourhood Watch involves . . .
- working with others to make your community safer
- what you can do to reduce the risk of crime in your area
- knowing what to do when a crime or other emergency occurs
- reducing the opportunity for crime by making it more difficult for the would be criminal to act
There are over 42,000 neighbourhood watch schemes (NHW) across the Thames Valley. Each scheme a has a co-ordinator, who is in contact with their Regional Administrator. They act as a link between the community, the police and other agencies. Schemes can include two or three neighbours in a village or entire housing estates in large towns.
In the Royal Borough anyone can start up a scheme in their road. If there is insufficient interest for a large group to be formed, the Borough's Watch Administrator, based in Windsor Police Station will act as the 'Co-ordinator' for you. We can therefore manage scemes of only 2 or 3 people. In local villages, we sometimes set up the whole village as a NHW Scheme. Often we set up 'Communities' rather than individual roles.
To learn more about neighbourhood watch, please visit the website http://www.neighbourhoodwatch.net/
What is involved?
To learn more about NHW and how it operates in the Borough, please make contact with the Watch Administrator Jeffrey Pick at: mailto:jeffrey.pick@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. He will check if there is a scheme already running in your area and if not he will give you more information about NHW and how to start a scheme. After speaking to your neighbours and establishing that they are interested, a meeting can be arranged to start up the scheme. This initial meeting is usually held in the organiser's home or local community hall and run by the Regional Administrator assisted by the local police officer.
Who runs the scheme?
Ideally there is a co-ordinator, but this is not essential. We just want as many people as possible to participate.Their role is to distribute newsletters, pass on crime information and be a focal point for contact with the Regional Administrator, police and other agencies. It is not their role to report crime on behalf of their neighbours but ideally Co-ordinators would be made aware of any problems within their schemes by the members.
How much does it cost?
To encourage as wide a membership as possible we try and keep the costs of membership to a minimum. In Ascot there is an annual fee of £1 per member. This money is used to fund local activities, support local Youth groups and pay the print costs for a quarterly Newsletter. In all other areas of the Borough it is totally free. Window stickers and street signs are also provided completely free of charge paid for jointly by the police and the Royal Borough. We don't want to put any obstacles in the way of people joining and making best use of the facilities and contacts, being a member provides.
What are the benefits of Neighbourhood Watch?
- an opportunity to bring together communities
- a reduction in home insurance costs
- an increased awareness of local crime and how to combat it
- a reduction in the fear of crime
- a link between your community and the police.
Community Messaging
Community Messaging has been extended to anyone who lives or works in the Royal Borough completely free of charge. Updates about crime and anything to do with community safety, are sent out several times a week. This will include dates of public meetings organised by the Police, their Partners and the Royal Borough, as well as monthly reports from the local RBWM Community Wardens and TVP PCSOs. We also circulate the dates and times of police/Neighbourhood surgeries.
To find out more about this free service and to sign up online visit http://www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org/
