Home Watch

The very first Home Watch scheme started in 1982 - in Cheshire - and there are now thousands of schemes running throughout the UK. It started out in Mollington, Cheshire, by a Chester Crime Reduction Officer. He decided to put methods he had read about being used in America into practice after villagers expressed concern about the levels of crime in their village. Over the years the Home Watch bug has spread and thousands of schemes across the country are helping reduce and solve crime.

In Cheshire it is referred to as Home Watch. Some agencies which have taken on and driven forward the schemes in other parts of the UK have branded the initiatives Neighbourhood Watch.

Different sectors of industry have also caught on and there are active Shop Watch, Pub Watch, Business Watch, School Watch and Rural Watch dotted across the county.

What is Home Watch?

Home Watch is a scheme set up by a group of concerned neighbours who come together with the aim of helping to reduce crime in their area. Residents possess a specialised knowledge of their neighbourhood and can pass on vital community intelligence to the police and partner agencies – whether it is reporting someone suspicious in the area or a bogus caller who has targeted a neighbour.

Why set up a Home Watch scheme?

The main aim of Home Watch is to create a partnership between the local community, the police and partner agencies. The schemes are a great way of building community relations and working together to reduce crime, the fear of crime and to improve the quality of life in your area. It helps bond a community together with a common goal. The very first Home Watch scheme started in 1982 - in Cheshire - and there are now thousands of schemes running throughout the UK. How to run a scheme?

First of all check that your neighbours are interested in being a part of a Home Watch scheme – you need to be fully committed to a scheme to ensure it continues
If enough people are interested then try to arrange a meeting in your local area – invite as many residents along as you can along with your local Crime Reduction Advisor and/or local Police Officer and Police Community Support Officer
Make sure that the date and time is suitable for as many people as possible
Consider handing out leaflets to local neighbours urging them to attend the meeting
During the meeting you should try and appoint someone who will be the co-ordinator of the Homewatch scheme – they will be the main point of contact for the local community – and for the local police
It is also useful to appoint a deputy co-ordinator who can help to disseminate key information to your neighbours

What can Home Watch schemes do?

Home Watch schemes are a great way of building community relations and working together to reduce crime, the fear of crime and to improve the quality of life in your area. Residents possess a specialised knowledge of their neighbourhood and can pass on vital community intelligence to the police and partner agencies – whether it is reporting someone suspicious in the area or a bogus caller who has targeted a neighbour. Information can be passed between residents – via the Home Watch co-ordinator. Residents can also pass on information to police about problems in their area – this can help officers to target the issues that are affecting the quality of life of locals. Local problems such as vandalism and graffiti are well within the scope of a well-organised Home Watch scheme.

Keeping a scheme going:

For the first six or so months of the scheme, people will be relatively enthusiastic about it. But once your objectives have been achieved, maintaining the scheme can become difficult. Everyone in the scheme needs to be fully committed to ensure it continues.
There are steps you can take to help keep the scheme productive:

Schedule regular meetings to decide on new objectives
Involve new residents – it is a great way for them to get to know their neighbours
Ensure that people are continually vigilant and report suspicious behaviour to the police
Build up a network of trust between your neighbours. Ask them to keep an eye on your house while on holiday, and to put post through your door

Role of Main Co-ordinator

Although the role of the co-ordinator need not involve too much time, you may decide to share these responsibilities by taking it in turn each year to co-ordinate.
The co-ordinator acts as a key contact and guides the group. The role involves:

Contacting individual households with newsletters, leaflets and any equipment, which may become available to members – such as property marking pens etc
Encouraging members to keep a check on vulnerable households and welcome newcomers to the scheme
Sharing relevant police information on crime in your area and ideas for crime prevention with scheme members
Acting as a central point to receive and pass on information from their own scheme members, other co-ordinators, the police and other agencies
Monitoring the activities of the scheme over the year and may represent their scheme at local police Community Action Meetings, Parish Council meetings etc

For more information on setting up a Home Watch scheme in your area please contact Lynne Lees - your local Crime Reduction Advisor on 01244 613862.