NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
By Alan Wain
This is the first article of a series of maybe eight. To help the flow and also to conserve space, a number of abbreviations will be used.
LAG Local Area Group
NCC Nottinghamshire County Council
NW Neighbourhood Watch
PCSO Police Community Support Officer
SNPT Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team
WBNWG West Bridgford Neighbourhood Watch Group
Evidently NW originated in Seattle, Washington, in 1975. Essentially, it was neighbours watching out for neighbours. In this country the first NW was formed in a small Cheshire village called Mollington. Interest in NW has increased over the years to the extent that it is said that there are now 10 million people in the UK who belong NW schemes.
Locally, the first scheme was formed 25 years ago for some 1,800 households in Edwalton and parts of West Bridgford. This was followed in about 1987 by the Lady Bay scheme, which was formed by Roy Turton and neighbours in response to the murder at Simkins Farm. Subsequently, Don Read took over the reins from Roy – Don’s crime column has been a regular feature in this paper.
My own involvement with NW began in 1994 as a reaction to the fact that we had been burgled. I saw the formation of a community as being the prime objective with the thought that improvements to members’ safety and security would follow once people began to know each other. That approach to NW has been successful in that sixteen years later the scheme is still going strong.
Members of NW schemes have a common commitment to help reduce crime in the community. Knowledge is shared regarding home security, personal safety, looking after personal possessions. The police are very supportive of NW and likewise NW complements the work of the police.
Members of the public who are not in NW schemes will be aware that schemes exist – as they walk or drive along the roads they will see the NW signs marking the boundaries of each scheme. Hopefully this series of articles will reveal what NW is about and maybe some readers will be so interested that they will take steps to join or start a scheme.
