As a watch co-ordinator, you will be seen as a leader, both by your neighbours and the police. The success or failure of the watch will be directly linked to your enthusiasm. It is in everyone's interest that the co-ordinator is a success and there will be considerable personal satisfaction when your scheme starts to have an impact on crime in your area.
The police can't run your watch for you, but they will give you lots of useful support, like information on local crime and details of new crime prevention activities. This sort of information will help keep residents interested in the scheme, provided you have a system in place to keep people aware of what is going on.
THE BASICS
Keep in touch with your contact police officer, get information, and pass it on to your neighbours. Encourage your neighbours to support your watch by calling police to suspicious happenings and by security marking all your valuable property. Give them accurate information about real crime risk, and promote home security. Feedback collected information on non urgent crime and fear of crime to your contact police officer. Contact other agencies, for example, the council, for non crime issues, like road repairs.
GOOD NEIGHBOURS
Without continuous encouragement, people tend to stand back from active participation in Neighbourhood watch. They show the stickers and settle in their armchairs in the belief that they have done their bit. Getting neighbours involved means helping start a real sense of community.
One of the most effective ways to get this started is to enlist your friends help in starting the occasional purely social event under the Neighbourhood Watch Banner. Quiz nights and barbecues are popular, and take people from being 'nodding acquaintance' to making friends.
Real communication makes effective co-ordination.
KEEPING A WATCH SCHEME GOING
Once your Watch is started, all of the stickers are up, and the initial excitement is over, it can all fall a bit flat. Criminals avoid your area, because there is a new Neighbourhood watch, so there is little or no information from the police. The people who wanted to get discounted insurance have got it, and there is no flow of intelligence to you. It is very easy for a Watch to become hollow at this point and begin to fail. You and your friends can help stop this from happening by generating activity and interest in the quiet spells, when there is little reported crime.
Keeping a Watch scheme going means encouraging people to keep in touch with their neighbours and keeping information flow and activity going. Involving and allowing people to contribute to activities and celebrate their success is the key to a flourishing Watch.