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What is Neighbourhood Watch?

Neighbourhood Watch is made up of small groups of volunteer residents in towns and cities around the country.

Members look out for signs of crime in their own neighbourhoods, and share that information with each other and local police.

They follow basic rules and guidelines set out by the national organisation, and they work closely with their local police force.

How does Neighbourhood Watch work?

If you join Neighbourhood Watch, you will get to know your neighbours. You'll pay attention to the cars normally parked on your street, and to which of your neighbours is having work done on their house. You might even know which of your neighbours is away for any length of time.

Using that information, you’re more likely to know when something unusual is happening on your street, or when something just doesn’t look right.

By keeping an eye out for your neighbours, you can help police stop crimes from happening.

Get involved with Neighbourhood Watch

If you’re interested in joining your local Neighbourhood Watch team, contact your local police station or neighbourhood policing team. (Neighbourhood policing teams are the part of your local force that specialise in working with residents to prevent crime).

They can put you in touch with a group near you.

The Neighbourhood Watch website has lots of information to help you get started if you want to start your own group. For example, you might want to use the crown copyrighted logo on any material you produce. The logo is free to use. Simply send an email with details of your new group to:

logo@ourwatch.org.uk

• Neighbourhood Watch website Opens new window

Want to do more to prevent crime?

Across the country, residents are getting involved to help make their towns better and safer.

If you want to help, contact your local neighbourhood policing team to find out what's going on in your part of town. You could also call your local police to find out when and where the next neighbourhood policing team meeting will be held, and go along.

You could also get involved with a neighbourhood policing team panel. They set local priorities for police, and have a say in the kinds of work being done by convicted criminals serving community sentences.

If you go to regular neighbourhood policing team meetings, they'll explain how you can join a local panel.

• Find a police force, neighbourhood policing team or police authority