Neighbourhood Watch Initiative from Humberside Police

The document below has been compiled and is available for publication in
any Town Council or Parish Council Newsletters and has been available to
the press.

As a Neighbourhood Policing Team we have actively been supporting the
introduction of more Neighbourhood Watches as a means of supporting
community cohesion. In the light of recent events, we are actively
encouraging communities to consider Neighbourhood Watch as a means to
achieve what is outlined in the document and we're happy to answer any
queries raised or to discuss this.

Best wishes

Peter Rogers

Community Safety

Some Proposals to enhance Neighbourhood Involvement from the

South and Mid Holderness Neighbourhood Policing Team

 

The recent flooding in the South Holderness area has highlighted a need for neighbourhoods to work together with the relevant agencies to help each other in times of sudden crisis. In many areas a true community spirit and a desire to help was clearly demonstrated. In addition, there were people who would willingly have offered to help out in the wider community had there been a system in existence by which they could volunteer their services.

The South and Mid Holderness Neighbourhood Policing Team has actively been supporting the extension of new Neighbourhood Watch groups within its area for over 12 months, and the following are proposals to use the existing Neighbourhood Watch system as a base from which a more wide-reaching neighbourhood self-help system could be established. This could be useful in times of sudden crisis such as flooding or severe winter conditions.

Humberside Police, in conjunction with Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Group (HANWaG), operate Neighbourhood Watch within each Neighbourhood Policing area. Within the South and Mid Holderness Neighbourhood Policing team area there is a drive to create a minimum of another 30 within the next twelve months.

A basic requirement of a Neighbourhood Watch is that each neighbourhood is linked to the local Police through their co-ordinator who, in turn, the conduit for concerns to be raised in relation to local crime. Members are able to keep an eye out for each other and report suspicious incidents, thereby assisting with intelligence gathering and crime prevention.

But what if this idea were taken further?

If strong Neighbourhood Watch groups were already established in areas where incidents such as the recent flooding occurred, what is there to stop these groups developing closer community links in a wider context?

For example:

1. Each Neighbourhood Watch could identify from its membership those who might be in particular need at times of crisis in order that they could be the recipients of assistance. This could be an elderly or disabled neighbour in need of sandbags at a time of flooding who is unable to access them personally. This would ensure that help was offered by members of the group and that they could be identified, if necessary to the support agencies.

2. Each group could identify from its membership those who would be willing to help others in the kind of situations described. For example, each Neighbourhood Watch could provide a list of those willing to clear drives in heavy snow, or those who would be prepared to offer their services to their town or parish council to help with sandbag deliveries. Co-ordinators’ lists of such willing individuals (providing they were maintained effectively) could be made available to local town and parish councils so that they would immediately have a list of volunteers prepared to help out.

3. Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators could become the focal points to help with the dissemination of information to their respective members. Providing details of neighbourhood watch co-ordinators were kept up to date and were immediately available from the Police to all agencies requiring them (including town and parish councils), this would ensure that people could be kept up to date very quickly. This would provide an effective intelligence-sharing mechanism which could operate in addition to those already employed by the agencies and through the media. For example, should there be a need to circulate some information quickly in a specific neighbourhood, the Police could contact the relevant co-ordinator and they could circulate the information.

4. If strong and effective neighbourhood watches operated in this manner, it would also be possible for co-ordinators to link together and provide a representative on their local Neighbourhood Action Teams. That individual could feed back to all co-ordinators who would, in turn, feed back to their members.

This would be a means of ensuring that the issues which most closely affect local communities could be relayed to the Neighbourhood Action Team so that positive remedies could be sought.

In summary:

Neighbourhood Watch would not simply be about reducing crime in local communities. It could develop into a mechanism which, if linked at local level with the Police and town / parish councils, could provide a means to optimise community involvement at times of need.

The system would only be as strong as the groups created and the enthusiasm of those involved. Recent events have shown that such people do exist in substantial numbers.

The South and Mid Holderness Neighbourhood Policing Team are immediately ready and willing to help with the establishment of Neighbourhood Watches and to link officers into them. With the right encouragement and support, what has been outlined above could become a reality and help address some of the concerns raised by residents who suffered during the recent flooding.

Groups interested in forming Neighbourhood Watches are asked to contact any of the following Neighbourhood Team Staff on 0845 60 60 222:

Inspector Patrick Fisher: email Patrick.fisher@humberside.pnn.police.uk

Sgt Peter Rogers: email Peter.Rogers@humberside.pnn.police.uk

PC Bob Pyle (S.W. Holderness): e mail Robert.Pyle@humberside.pnn.police.uk

PC Tony Newiss (S.E. Holderness): e mail Tony.Newiss@humberside.pnn.police.uk

PC Will Stephenson (Mid Holderness): William.stephenson@humberside.pnn.police.uk

Town or Parish councils wishing to discuss what has been outlined are also invited to contact any of the above.