Neighbourhood Watch

• What is Neighbourhood Watch?
• How does Neighbourhood Watch work?
• Neighbourhood Watch is not about...
• Neighbourhood Watch Scrutiny
• Support to Watches
• Email Crime Messaging System 
• Frequently asked questions

The Partnership between Wandsworth Council, the Metropolitan Police and other agencies has produced some exceptional results with crime in the Borough falling consistently.

Now Wandsworth residents enjoy the lowest risk of crime in inner London.

You can help build on this success by starting or joining a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme where you live. Neighbourhood Watch is about working together in partnership for a safer and more caring community.

We are currently undergoing a major neighbourhood watch recruitment drive in the borough. Click below to see our recruitment poster, intoductory leaflet and co-ordinators guide (you will need Adobe Acrobat to view these documents).

 Neighbourhood Watch Poster

 Neighbourhood Watch: an introduction to all residents

 A Co-ordinator's Guide to Neighbourhood Watch

What is Neighbourhood Watch?
Neighbourhood Watch is:

• Finding ways to make your community safer.
• Caring for each other and for the local environment.
• Knowing what to do when crime or other emergencies occur.
• Helping neighbours to get to know each other.
• Working together with all other agencies to make your community a better place in which to live.

How does Neighbourhood Watch work?
A Neighbourhood Watch can be formed when any group of neighbours decide to work together to prevent crime in their area. Each Watch has a clear area for which it is responsible.

Neighbourhood Watch works alongside local residents' associations and other local groups. A scheme co-ordinator is chosen as a point of contact for the residents, or other agencies.

Neighbourhood Watch encourages people to be good neighbours through greater community involvement. It also promotes awareness of others who may need help or advice.

Neighbourhood Watch encourages you to take every precaution to protect you and your family.

Neighbourhood Watch is not about...
... being a hero, being nosy, becoming a vigilante or working for the Police or the Council.

Neighbourhood Watch Scrutiny
On 6 September 2007 the council's Regeneration and Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a presentation on Neighbourhood Watch in the borough. The committee were impressed by the successes of Neighbourhood Watch in Wandsworth. You may know that Wandsworth is the safest place to live in inner London and one of the safest places to live in London. We have over 450 Watches, one of the best developed networks in the country, and continue to add new Neighbourhood Watches on a weekly basis.

Added to this, Wandsworth are pioneering initiatives in the Neighbourhood Watch community, for example in partnership with the Fire Brigade we recently trained 60 volunteers how to deal with the consequences of flooding. The committee were keen to continue building on these successes and keep up the incredibly positive momentum. Cllr Mark Davis, Chairman of the Regeneration and Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee, asked the committee to authorise a review, or 'scrutiny', of Neighbourhood Watch. The purpose of this scrutiny was to provide a focus for the Council's work with Neighbourhood Watch and how it works with partners, especially the Police and Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. It was to look at strengths we can build on and identify areas that may require further work.

A questionnaire was distributed to all Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators and key stakeholders and by the closing date for return 165 replies had been received, representing a 35% response rate. The main findings can be found by following the link below.

 Neighbourhood Watch Scrutiny Summary Analysis

The scrutiny has given the Co-ordinators and others who have an association with Neighbourhood Watch, an opportunity to comment on these changes and on communications with the Community Safety Division, the Police and other organisations and suggest other new ideas they may have for improving the Council service to them. Following this evaluation of the service a strategy is being developed, which will include an action plan to progress Neighbourhood Watch in the borough. A draft strategy will be circulated to Co-ordinators and key stakeholders for further consultation.

Support to Watches

Grants

The grant scheme is currently under review and subject to conditions. For more information please click here.

Street signs
If you are a Watch co-ordinator and you would like to put up Neighbourhood Watch signs in your Watch area, please contact the team.

Email Crime Messaging System
To keep Watch members informed of current crime trends in their area, Community Safety operate an email crime messaging system. The messages are sent on a weekly basis and can go to any neighbourhood watch co-ordinator or a designated member who has access to a computer and email. Individual messages are prepared for Putney, Battersea and Tooting.

For further information on joining E-mail Crime Messaging System, please contact Community Safety on (020) 8871 7696.