1. SPEAK WITH NEIGHBOURS
Firstly, speak to your neighbours and work out who may be best to
initially organise your group. It might be a team effort with different people contributing in a variety
of ways.
2. SCOPING - Plot the scope
Aim to involve say 20 households as this should provide a good spread
of contacts. Frequently a group consists of residences / businesses within view of each other's properties
and situated close enough to respond to any occurrence. Including properties up right of ways or pathways
allows egress routes to be covered.
3. ORGANISE A MEETING
Obtain pamphlets about Neighbourhood Watch from the Police and canvas
the neighbours in your proposed group with the concept. Ascertain how many are interested in attending a
meeting to set up a Neighbourhood Watch group. Gauge the most convenient time.
4. ARRANGE A VENUE
Organise a suitable venue for your proposed gathering. It might
be someone's large lounge, garage or even garden for a barbeque on a fine day.
5. ARRANGE A SPEAKER
Contact BaysWatch - the Neighbourhood Watch network for East
Coast Bays or Bays Community Constable River Lamb and book one or the other to speak to your
meeting.
6. INVITE PEOPLE
When those few things above have been arranged, ONLY then send out an
invitation to households or businesses in your proposed group. It's really best to take something around
and talk to people in person. You are more likely to create an interest in the event and get them along.
7. PLAN MEETING AGENDA
You will need to get hold of a sufficient number of things to display
or hand out like - pamplets, security info or samples, map of area, display stickers for houses and letterbox,
etc.
At your meeting your speaker will provide an overview of Neighbourhood Watch in structure and general practice,
make available pamphlets and display samples of security devices. Your group will be provided with crime
prevention advice.
It does help to allow people to have a chat socially after the
meeting so putting on a cup of tea and a snack.
8. AGREE ON A CO-ORDINATOR
Your meeting MUST agree on a Group Co-ordinator and a couple of
deputies to carry on the group aims. They will be the point of contact for the NW Network and a point of
contact for Police in the event of local activity.
9. GET CONTACT INFO
Have everyone at the gathering provide (if they are willing) -
- Their contact details phone, fax, cellphone and email to make
communication easy.
- Away from home numbers (eg work or regular haunt) so that any
neighbour can make contact to check about any suspicious activity back home.
- Skills and resources information. It may be very useful
to know if there is a doctor or a fireman or an ambulance officer in your very neighbourhood.
Agree amongst yourselves that such contact information will only be
for making up a phone list for your group and not for any other purpose. Allow for a copy to be
distributed to all participants.
10. INCLUDE CHILDREN
Aim to include children as part of your observation resource.
They often see more of what is going on around the neighbourhood. They need the right encouragement
to report such things to a responsible adult for checking out anything suspicious.
11. PLAN PROGRAMME
Plan to have several more review meetings to consider suggestions for
improving your group and adopting the most favoured ones. An added incentive to these meetings may be a
speaker on an interesting related subject. After that you might plan a refresher gathering on a 6-monthly
or annual basis. Some street groups have a regular annual barbeque.
12. BE ADAPTABLE
Your group should best fit the aims, needs and aspirations of your
members so they all feel it is a worthwhile way of adding to their security and the friendliness of their
neighbourhood.
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For more information please refer to Neighbourhood Watch contacts on
this page . . . . Bayswatch Structure |
