Neighbourhood
Watch
Five
years ago, there were 27 Neighbourhood
Watch co-ordinators in the N20 postal
district. Today, there are just seven.
The reasons for the decline are not
clear. Although there was a short
period when the Barnet scheme was
without an administrator, Barnet Boroughwatch
has now been reconstituted and operates
from Colindale Police Station.
There is no doubt that Neighbourhood
Watch schemes can help cut crime and
that being part of an active scheme
reduces your chances of being a victim
of burglary. It may also mean you
have lower household insurance premiums.
Setting up a scheme is not difficult.
The police recommend that one co-ordinator
takes on no more than about 50 households:
otherwise the task can become too
burdensome.
Claire Bannister, a TRA committee
member who has been involved with
Neighbourhood Watch schemes, offers
the following advice:
- Make sure it is something
you believe in and are willing
to carry through.
- Neighbourhood Watch schemes
generally involve two meetings
a year after which letters with
relevant information from the
meeting are sent to every household
in the Neighbourhood Watch area.
- All information has to be
correct and double-checked by
the inspector at your local station.
The key to success is in keeping
the information that you circulate
relevant to your immediate and
surrounding area.
- It is a good idea to ask
for volunteers to help with delivering
newsletters. This also encourages
people to feel involved and may
help them get to know others in
their neighbourhood.
- At its best, neighbourhood
watch helps to develop a sense
of community, with people looking
out for each other and reporting
anything unusual.
- If a number of groups want
to set up in the area, Barnet
Boroughwatch may help to organize
a local meeting.
A useful leaflet on setting up
and running a Neighbourhood Watch
scheme is available from Bamet Boroughwatch
- the Association of Neighbourhood
Watches in the London Borough of
Barnet.
Contact Barnet Boroughwatch,
Room 205, Colindale Police Station,
Grahame Park Way, London NW9 5TW.
Tel: 020 8733 4409
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