Crime has been on the rise, each year you see more and more crimes being committed. It is scary knowing that our children are growing up with so much happening around them. A great way to help stop some of the crime in your neighborhood is to form a Neighborhood Watch.
So what is a Neighborhood Watch exactly? It is a group of citizens that are helping each other to keep crime and vandalism out of their community. Members of the neighborhood watch are encouraged to contact authorities if they see unusual activity or suspicious people in the area.
Do you think your neighborhood would benefit from a watch program? Here is what you need to do to get started:
- Being the group coordinator, you will need to contact the local authorities to meet with a crime prevention officer.
- Set your boundaries. You will need to decide how large of an area you would like to watch. The larger the area, the more difficult it may be to keep track of all members and have meetings.
- Let everyone know. You want to get the word out about your Neighborhood Watch. Sign up neighbors that you know and go to the doors of people you may not personally know yet. Introduce yourself and explain what you are trying to do.
- Register your watch with USAOnWatch.org.
- Plan your first meeting. Put out fliers if possible announcing your first meeting. Is there a school, library, church or other location near-by that everyone could meet at? Check with your crime prevention officer to see if there is someone that can attend to discuss safety and things to be aware of.
- Ensure all members have a list of names and phone numbers in order to contact in case of suspicious activity. If someone is going on a vacation or will be away for an extended period of time, it would smart for them to advise you and some of the close neighbors to keep an extra eye on the area.
- In order to advertise the watch in your area, place signs throughout the neighborhood and set up scheduled patrols.
A neighborhood watch can be great for your area if you have any sort of crime or vandalism occurring. Sometimes just the idea of a watch will detour criminals. Your best resource for creating a successful watch is your local police department. If you give them a call and set an appointment, you will likely receive all of the information you need to help lessen the crime where you live.
