Starting a neighbourhood watch
Neighbourhood Watch aims to help people protect themselves and their properties and to reduce the fear of crime by means of improved home security, greater vigilance, accurate reporting of suspicious incidents and fostering a community spirit as well as tackling new forms of crime such as cybercrime.
The most visible part of the neighbourhood watch’s job, of course, is being visible, and this is achieved by organising night-time patrols which are staffed by volunteers from the neighbourhood.
Setting up a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area can help you and your neighbours feel safe. It can also help to prevent crime. You can set up a watch to cover just one street, a couple of streets or part or all of an estate.
Neighbourhood Watch is about people getting together with their neighbours to take action to reduce crime.
They’re community initiatives owned and run by their members which are supported by the police but not owned by them, although we sometimes run them.
They work by developing a close relationship between community members and the local police.
Benefits of neighbourhood watch
- Safer community
- Share crime prevention advice
- Look out for each other
- Lower crime because you are looking out for each other
- Following crime prevention advice
- Having Neighbourhood Watch signs up tells potential criminals that people are watching
- Better relationships with neighbours
- Create an inclusive, friendly environment where neighbours feel safe and connected.
Start A Watch Group in 5 Easy Steps
- Create a WhatsApp Group
- Recruit and organise as many neighbours as possible
- Contact your local law enforcement agency and schedule a meeting
- Discuss community concerns and develop an action plan
- Create a communication plan
- Take Action: Hold Meetings and Events.
If you are lost as to how to create such a constitution, you may ask the department of community safety for a template.
You also need to contact your local CPF and SAPS branch to inform them of your intentions. Thereafter, you can set a date for your first public meeting, inform the community, and invite the CPF, SAPS and the department to be present.
Don’t mess with neighbourhood watches
Topics Constitutional Law & Civil Rights | Criminal Law | 18 Oct 2021
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