Neighbourhood Watch
Deborah Morton is the full-time Neighbourhood Watch Administrator covering West Berkshire based within the Safer Communities Partnership Team.
In West Berkshire we are keen to encourage more Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) and other Watch schemes to be set up.
Neighbourhood Watch is about people working together to make their communities safer, bring back community spirit that is lacking in some areas and help people protect themselves. At the same time, you feel secure, knowing your neighbours are keeping an eye on your property. Even small pieces of information can help the Police complete a jigsaw and catch a criminal. All over the country active NHW schemes have reduced crime rates by working with each other and the Police.
Getting to know and helping your neighbours, especially the elderly, re-creates a community spirit. The more scheme that can be started, the more we as part of a large organisation can help combat crime and make the community a safer place to live.
Neighbourhood Watch schemes can cover 4-40 households, but it is best to decide on a number that you are able to easily pass information on to. Messages can be received by phone, fax or e-mail. We need people to be prepared to act as the Co-ordinator and have a deputy or other people willing to help deliver messages in their road. Messages are sent out by the Neighbourhood Watch Administrators, via the Ringmaster system at Newbury Police Station. You will receive crime information on say distraction burglaries, rogue traders, crime in your area, vehicles that the Police are trying to trace and various other useful information.
Other advantages of being in a NHW scheme are that you are able to get discounts on household insurance from most Insurance Companies and obtain local discounts from companies, such as Jewsons, on all the building and security products that they stock. To receive these discounts, account numbers need to be quoted.
If you would like to find out more about setting up a scheme, please telephone the Contact to the right of this page.
