How to Set up a New Scheme
Considering forming a local group means you have made a positive start to act against crime in your community. You will also become part of one of the largest and most successful grass-roots movements in the country.
You may also be able to save money on your house insurance: some insurance companies look very favourably at being a member of an active Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, due to the improved security awareness.
It's not about being a nosy neighbour, it's about being concerned for the people who live in and share your street - your neighbours.
Neighbourhood Watch, which works closely with the local police, keeps you informed of local crime trends through newsletters and other communications. This allows you to take precautions against the possibility of being another crime statistic.
How to go about starting a scheme in your street:
If you are interested in starting a scheme in your street, you should first approach the Area Coordinator for your area, who will be pleased to explain things clearly to you. You can make contact via the Committee and Contacts page of this website; if you are not sure which area you live in, or if your area does not currently have an Area Coordinator, please contact the Chairman or any other member of the committee, who will assist. Alternatively, you can leave a message on the Association's telephone answering service (see Committee and Contacts page).
It may be that your interest is first kindled by speaking to a member of your police Safer Neighbourhoods Team, in which case they should arrange an introduction to your Area Coordinator.
You will then need to speak to your neighbours to find out how many other people in your street are interested. Once you have done this, and reported back to the Area Coordinator, within a previously agreed timescale, the Area Coordinator will liaise with the Safer Neighbourhoods Team who will need to carry out some basic checks to ensure that all are happy that there is a good prospect of setting up an effective scheme.
There will then need to be a discussion between you, the Area Coordinator, the Safer Neighbourhoods Team and your prospective members, in order to agree a mutually convenient date, time and venue for a Start Up Meeting to take place.
At the meeting the Area Coordinator and a member of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team will explain Neighbourhood Watch in more detail to your members and issue them all with a Start Up Pack of useful information. You will also be issued with a Coordinator's Handbook.
Once the scheme is up and running, you will immediately start to receive communications from the Association and the police, which you can pass on to your members.
What am I expected to do?
The Scheme Coordinator acts as the main point of contact between the individual members, the Area Coordinator and the police. You will be expected to pass on all relevant communications (in both directions), to attend meetings with other coordinators from time to time and to maintain enthusiasm within your scheme.
Some coordinators go even further, like publishing newsletters, organising meetings or social events, but these are optional: what matters is that your scheme, and how it operates, is tailored to what you and your members want it to be, provided the basics are covered.