5 Benefits of Starting a Neighborhood Watch

August 16, 2019

Crime is a significant problem in communities across the U.S. While law enforcement tries its best to stop criminal activity and keep people and property safe, the police can’t be everywhere at once. In many areas, budget cutbacks have also resulted in fewer police officers on the streets.

Many citizens have discovered that by banding together to form neighborhood watch groups, they can serve as an extra set of eyes and ears that can prove invaluable for enhancing neighborhood security.

The Origin of Neighborhood Watch Groups

Neighborhood watch groups began to spring up in the 1970s and early 1980s in various U.S. cities. Citizens realized the advantage of strength in numbers — a group of people monitoring the neighborhood could often spot suspicious activity and report it to the police, who could then quickly investigate the situation. The groups also recognized they could bolster their efforts by coordinating their activities with local law enforcement.

Benefits of Having a Neighborhood Watch

Forming a neighborhood watch group offers numerous benefits, such as:

• Less crime: Neighborhoods with these groups experience a 16 percent reduction in crime, according to a U.S. Department of Justice meta-analysis. Criminals tend to avoid these neighborhoods because they know that someone is probably watching them.
• Stronger relationships with law enforcement: By working in conjunction with local police, neighborhood watch groups can form a bond with law enforcement that permeates the entire community.
• Tight-knit community: A neighborhood watch is a cooperative effort among citizens within a community. The interaction draws people together and motivates them to create a better neighborhood for everyone.
• Improved quality of life: Less crime and stronger bonds with neighbors and police officers often results in enhanced quality of life. Citizens take pride in their neighborhoods and feel good about where they live.
• Cost-effectiveness: It costs nothing to form a neighborhood watch group, as all participants are volunteers who live in the community and care about its safety.

 

What Are the Steps for Starting a Neighborhood Watch?

The steps involved in forming a neighborhood watch group include:

• Recruit your neighbors: Start by contacting neighbors you know who might be interested in starting a watch group. You can then canvas the neighborhood to recruit additional volunteers. Set up an organizational meeting at a home, church or community center.
• Contact police and schedule meetings: Contact your local law enforcement agency and let them know that you’re forming a watch group. Invite them to attend your first meeting so that you can obtain their input and coordinate your efforts and activities with them. Hold regularly scheduled meetings with the members of your group on an ongoing basis.
• Define the problem and identify the solution: Determine your community’s most pressing issues — such as burglary, vandalism, unsafe streets, etc. — and develop an approach your watch group can implement to prevent them.

 

As a professional security services provider in Colorado Springs, Vigilant Tiger Security can provide helpful advice regarding how to start a neighborhood watch in your community. Contact us today to learn more.

CONTACT US TODAY