About NHW
Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is the largest voluntary organisation in Britain
The Police can’t deal with all the problems and issues arising from crime and anti-social behaviour alone, they need the help of the whole community. NHW provides a way for local people to play an important part in addressing this balance and making their communities safer.
NHW is a community initiative, supported by the Police, so success depends on what the members make of it.
Each scheme is different as it depends on the area and what the residents want. All over the Borough, communities face different challenges and different levels of crime.
The main aims are to:
- Reduce the opportunity for crime and the fear of crime in our neighbourhoods
- Improve the communications between residents and the Police
- Get residents working together to build a better community spirit
As people get to know each other a stronger community spirit grows – people look out for each other and become good neighbours. A NHW scheme is a group of residents who watch out for each other – the scheme can vary in size from a few houses to a whole street. One person is chosen as the Coordinator – they will have contact details of the members and keep them updated of any crime or issues in the area. Coordinators will get information from GNWA, the Police and Trading Standards which they pass on to all scheme members. Two way communications are very important and the Coordinator must encourage members to report crimes or anything suspicious to the Police using 999 or 101.
If you are not sure if a scheme is operating in your area, please contact us via our contacts page.
Benefits for Members
- Household insurance discounts may be available with many insurers (approx 5% – 10%).
- Information on incidents in your area.
- Peace of mind in your neighbourhood.
- Improved community spirit.
- The Association is managed by a committee of Scheme Coordinators elected annually at the AGM.
The Associations aim is to:
- Support all schemes in the Borough
- Encourage residents to start schemes
- Encourage the flow of information between the Police, GNWA , other agencies & Schemes.
- Represent Gosport schemes in the Council’s Safety Partnership.
The Role of a Neighbourhood Watch Member
- Be alert to any suspicious behaviour or activity in your local area
- Report information to the scheme Co-ordinator, and in serious cases to the Police.
- Monitor people’s homes whilst they are away
- Implement basic crime prevention techniques
- Support the scheme Co-ordinator in distributing information to the rest of the group.
People join Neighbourhood Watch to make the areas where they live safe, friendly and pleasant places to be – and it works. The old stereotype of the Neighbourhood Watch curtain twitcher is wrong for one very simple reason: it implies fear. Neighbourhood Watch is about the opposite: making sure that no one has to feel afraid, vulnerable or isolated in the place where they live. The results can really be something to be proud of. Communities where Neighbourhood Watch operates become more friendly and cohesive and, research shows, experience a fall in crime.
If you would like to know more about the work of the committee or join us, please contact us via our contact page.