The Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

What is a Neighbourhood Watch?

Neighbourhood Watch is national network of local groups made up of volunteers. They raise awareness about crime and encourage neighbours to keep an eye on each others' property. Some estimates say 3.8 millions households are involved across the UK.

When did Neighbourhood Watch start?

The first Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the UK was set up in 1982, followed by thousands more.

Why did Neighbourhood Watch start?

There are 5 key reasons why Neighbourhood Watch was created:

• ❖ The reputation of the police had declined by the 1980s.
• ❖ In his report on the Brixton riots of 1981, Lord Scarman said an important cause of the disturbances was that the police had become out of touch with the community and had lost its support.
• ❖ Britain saw a dramatic rise in crime in the early 1980s and society was keen to see the introduction of new ways to tackle it.
• ❖ The idea of Neighbourhood Watch was imported from the US, where it was originally set up in Chicago and was seen to be successful in tackling crime.
• ❖ During the 1980s, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher led a Conservative government that wanted to increase the roles and responsibilities of individuals and reduce the role of the state.

What were the aims of Neighbourhood Watch?

The 3 main aims of Neighbourhood Watch are:

• ❖ Helping the police prevent crime by encouraging locals to be vigilant.
• ❖ Using community involvement to reduce fear of crime.
• ❖ Reporting crimes to the police.

How effective was Neighbourhood Watch?

Some people believed the scheme made a significant and positive change. Others claimed it was ineffective and did not prevent crime.

What were the strengths of Neighbourhood Watch?

Four of the main arguments made in support of Neighbourhood Watch schemes include:

• ❖ It works well for tackling issues like anti-social behaviour.
• ❖ It's very effective at making people feel safer and less vulnerable.
• ❖ The police rely on local cooperation - they can't police effectively without community support.
• ❖ The scheme encourages local people to take an active part in making their community safer.

What criticisms were there of Neighbourhood Watch?

Three of the main criticisms of Neighbourhood Watch schemes include:

• ❖ Most Neighbourhood Watch groups are in wealthier areas that don't suffer from a lot of crime, rather than in those with high crime rates where they are needed.
• ❖ Neighbourhood Watch members are mostly older people who want an opportunity to be nosy neighbours and are unrepresentative of the whole community.
• ❖ The scheme is an excuse to underfund the police service. It relies on unpaid volunteers doing jobs the police should be doing.