Cheshire has good reason to be very proud of Home Watch. It is
one of the county’s most successful exports. The initiative began
its life in Britain in the village of Mollington, near Chester, in
1982. It soon spread around the country, adopting the name
Neighbourhood Watch in some areas.
Home Watch is an independent, voluntary, community-based network
of residents. While Home Watch supports and is supported by the
police and other agencies, its independence is a vital aspect of
its work.
Its main aims are to:
- Reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime
- Provide reassurance to local communities
- Improve residents’ quality of life
Encourage neighbourliness and a closer community.
These targets are achieved by:
- Sharing information with the community, the police and other
agencies
- Supporting others, especially vulnerable neighbours
- Being receptive to information and advice from police and other
agencies
- Passing information to the police and other agencies.
How to get involved
Join or start a police-registered Home Watch scheme
To become part of a police-registered HomeWatch scheme you must
have exchanged home contact details with two or more other
residents of your street, one of whom is - or is willing to become
– the police-registered Home Watch co-ordinator.
Home Watch areas
If you become a Home Watch co-ordinator, you can then join
volunteer co-ordinators from nearby streets and neighbourhoods to
share information from your area.
Home Watch thirty years on
From the success of that first scheme in an area with a total
population of nine hundred, the Home Watch movement spread across
Britain. It has had a real impact on preventing crime and catching
criminals.
Thirty years on, we can appreciate
the value of Home Watch. It has adapted to a changing world and
adopted new technology but, at the core, it is still about people
making a constructive effort to protect their local community.
Share your stories
Cheshire Police would like to hear people’s interesting stories
of how Home Watch has helped fight crime in their area and the
positive effect it has had on the local community. Please send your
stories to the Community Engagement Manager, Jenny Ford on jenny.ford@cheshire.pnn.police.uk