What is Home Watch?

1. Home Watch is one of the biggest and most successful crime prevention initiatives ever. Behind it lies a simple idea and a central value shared my millions of people around the country.

2. Watching and caring – not snooping

3. That’s what Home Watch is is all about – looking out for each other. Neighbours uniting and acting together means that dozens of eyes and ears are ready to pick up on anything happening in the neighbour that could cause worry and concern. It’s not about being nosey or interfering, it’s about being a good neighbour and caring about your community.

4. A better quality of life

5. There is more to Home Watch than protecting homes and property against burglary. By working together, neighbours can help reduce all sorts of local crimes. As well as making the neighbourhood a better place to live and work in, tackling local problems and concerns will help people to feel less nervous about crime- especially those who are elderly or vulnerable for other reasons.

6. Home Watch is for everyone

7. Anyone can join a Home Watch team and everyone can play a part in its achievements. Home Watch means no one is alone. Your neighbours will look out for you, your family, your home and your street, and you will do the same for them.

8. Home Watch schemes also help the community to keep a check on people in the neighbourhood who are more vulnerable. Children and young people, the elderly and the frail, and people who have had their homes broken into before can all benefit from having an extra eye watching out for them.

9. As well as receiving support from the scheme members, people belonging to Home Watch can make contact with other local Watch groups, the police, local councils and other community and voluntary organisations, which all support Home Watch. Everyone in a Home Watch scheme plays an important and worthwhile part in making their community a safer, more friendly and pleasant place to live. 

10. How does it work?
    One of the most important things scheme members do is to look out for activity in the neighbourhood that seems suspicious or unusual, and then report it to the police. Some things you see might help the poice to solve or prevent a crime – and so stop someone from being a victim. But it is always important to remember, when you see something that concerns you, to dial 999 and let the police check it out – you MUST NEVER challenge someone behaving suspiciously or put yourself at risk.

11. Local volunteer co-ordinators and a committee led each local scheme. The link goes in both directions. As well as reporting suspicious activities or seeking help and advice from the police, the local co-ordinators will hear from them about incidents likely to affect the neighbourhood.

12. These could be about burglars operating in the area, reports of bogus door-to-door salesman, or car thieves at work, for instance.

13. Further information

14. For more information on Home Watch contact Karen Herbert-Okey on 01263 722479.
    
    View the Norfolk Police Home Watch pamphlet here