SurreyNeighbourhood Watch Reference Document


CONTENTS

Click on content title to link directly to the relevant section

Page 3Executive Summary

Page 4Introduction

Page 4 CitizenFocus, Neighbourhood Policingand Neighbourhood Watch

Page 5How CanNeighbourhood Watch Help?

Page 5Active Citizen System

Page 5 Surrey Neighbourhood Watch Association

Page 6InitialEnquiry

Page 7Settingup a NewWatch

Page 7Set up Meetings

Page 8PublicLiability Insurance

Page 8Neighbourhood Watch Signs

Page9Contact withExisting Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators

Page 9Resignations

Page 10Lossof a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator Through Bereavement

Page11Crime Messages

Page 12VettingofNeighbourhood WatchCo-ordinators

Page 12Ongoing QualityofNeighbourhood Watch

Page 13Appendix A - Neighbourhood WatchCommunity Action Against Crime Booklet

Page 14Appendix B - Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator Role

Page 15Appendix C - TrawlLetter for New Members

Page 16AppendixD - Registration Form

Page 17AppendixE – MeetingInvitation Card

Page 17Appendix F-Neighbourhood WatchPack

Page 18Appendix G– Neighbourhood Watch Member Obligations

Page 20Appendix H- Request for NewNeighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator Letter

Page 21AppendixI- Closureof Watch Letter

Page 22Appendix J- New Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator Letter

Executive Summary

This document has been designed as a reference guide to assist Surrey Police employees in workingwith Neighbourhood Watch volunteers to develop and support the movement in Surrey.

Neighbourhood Watch is run by volunteers for volunteers and it is not a Police led organisation. Surrey Police therefore work in partnership with a network of volunteers who work tirelessly across the county in an effort to make our communities safer and stronger. The structure and the strength of the Neighbourhood Watch volunteer network varies across different Boroughs/Districts and therefore Neighbourhood Teams should familiarise themselves with the structure of their local Neighbourhood Watch organisation.
It is recognised that Neighbourhood Watches can be established and organised in many different ways and there is no ‘one size fits all’ template. This document is a guide as to how Neighbourhood Watch is structured in Surrey and makes reference as to how watches could be established, supported and maintained. Whilst it is aimed at Surrey Police employees involved in Neighbourhood Watchit may also be of benefit as a reference guide to those volunteers who are involved in Neighbourhood Watch at a Borough or District level.
Wherever possible, partnership work and the use of volunteers should be encouraged. Where there is a particularly active support network, volunteers may be responsible for the majority of the processes and administrative duties detailed within this document.
Where assistance with these duties is required some of the responsibility may fall within the remit of a PCSO or NSO. How active the volunteer network is within a Borough/District and the required level of Surrey Police support should be discussed with your local Police lead support for Neighbourhood Watch (click here for details).

Introduction

“Neighbourhood Policing is the most important development within the delivery of policing services in recent years. The Neighbourhood Watch movement is the single largest voluntary organisation in England and Wales, with a presence in many neighbourhoods across the country, and up to six million members. Given the overlap, it is natural to seek synergies between Neighbourhood Policing and Neighbourhood Watch”.[1]

Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 the Police, in partnership with Local Authorities and others have a duty to do all they reasonably can to prevent crime and disorder in their area. It is widely accepted that partnership between the police and the public can be greatly enhanced and made more effective through a well-structured and well run Neighbourhood Watch. It is also recognised that an effective Neighbourhood Watch organisation linked to Neighbourhood Policing can make a unique contribution to the community safety agenda.

Neighbourhood Watch was initially established in Surrey in 1985. Since then it has grown to over 3,400 watches involving 125,000 households across the county and it is currently estimated that just under a third of households in Surrey are Neighbourhood Watch members. The introduction of Citizen Focus and Neighbourhood Policing in Surrey marks a significant point in time for the delivery of policing services, and with it presents the opportunity to enhance the partnership between Surrey Police and Neighbourhood Watch members.

Citizen Focus and Neighbourhood Policingand Neighbourhood Watch

The purpose of Neighbourhood Watch is to:

  • cut crime and the opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour;
  • provide reassurance to local residents and reduce the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour;
  • encourage neighbourliness and closer communities;
  • improve the quality of life for local residents and tenants.

The aims of Citizen Focus and Neighbourhood Policingare to:

  • improve public confidence and feelings of security;
  • improve satisfaction of service users;
  • increase public involvement in policing.

There are considerable overlaps in the aims of Citizen Focus and Neighbourhood Policing and the Neighbourhood Watch movement, particularly in respect of crime prevention, sharing intelligence, identifying issues of local concern, being involved in community problem solving, promoting social cohesion, building community capacity and public reassurance.

How Can Neighbourhood Watch Help?

The Neighbourhood Watch movement has a long history of working with Surrey Police. However, it is recognised that the ease of establishing Neighbourhood Watches will vary across the county and is more challenging in high crime areas and some areas containing high ethnic minority communities.

Much of the involvementhas previously focused on the work of local community officers and specialist Crime Reduction Advisorsin promoting home security, a sense of ownership and guardianship and the collection of intelligence/reporting of suspicious incidents to the police.

There are many examples across the county where this type of activity has assisted in the arrest of offenders and the reduction of crime, as well as promoting a feeling of safety within communities participating in Neighbourhood Watch[2].

Poor communication between the Police and Neighbourhood Watchhas been the biggest issue reported by watch members over many years. As a minimum, Neighbourhood Policing offers good opportunities to improve upon these communications issues, improving the two-way flow of information between the Police and Watch members.

Active Citizen System

Surrey Police has developed and implemented the Active Citizen System (ACS) communications system. This system allows the dissemination of information and will improve the management and accuracy of the communication networks between Surrey Police and Neighbourhood Watchmembers. It will enhance the quality and timeliness of information distributed as well as improve the targeting of communications to specific groups in specific geographic locations. Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators need to be seen as active citizens by Neighbourhood Policing teams, with a regular schedule of contacts being maintained through ACS to improve information flows.

Surrey Neighbourhood Watch Structure

The Surrey Neighbourhood Watch Association (SNhWA) was formally established 4 years ago and provides the overall framework for Neighbourhood Watchacross the county. The SNhWA consists of a formally elected Chair and committee and includes members from each of the 11 local Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisations.To support, administrate and improve communication locally, this framework is replicated in the majority of Boroughs/Districts with representation at the different levels to help support and develop Neighbourhood Watch.
Initial Enquiry From Resident to Surrey Police

Check first via the Active Citizen Systemand the local Neighbourhood Watch database to see if there is already a watch running in the postcode area where the enquirer lives. If there is, then simply put the local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinatorof the existing watchin touch with the enquirer so they may join the watch. If not, proceed as follows:

1)It should be explained to the enquirer that to set up a watchit will need someone who is willing to act as a Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator who preferably has email access and is ideally willing to have their details registered on the Active Citizen System.

2)If the enquirer is still interested they should be sentthe link to the ‘Neighbourhood Watch Community Action Against Crime’ booklet(Appendix A),the description of the typical role of a Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator(Appendix B) and a compliment slip with details of therelevant Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation contacts and local PCSO/NSO.

3)The enquirer’s name, address and contact detailsshould be recorded for future reference. TheBorough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation should be contacted to advise them of the enquiry and discuss with them who will progress the query.

In the majority of instances it will usually be the Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation who deal with an enquiry from this stage onwards but with support from local officers. In those cases where assistance is required some of the following procedures may need to be carried out by a PCSO or NSO.

4)The enquirer should be contacted after approximately 7 days to see if they are still interested. If they are, you can either offer a brief home visit or explain to them over the phone in more detail about the role of the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator.

5)The ‘trawl’ letter should be emailed to the enquirer which they can amend as appropriate (Appendix C). They can then gauge the whole road and neighbours’ interest with copies of this letter. Ideally the potential Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinatorwill engage with their neighbours face to face rather than by simply posting letters through the letterbox as they will have more success.

6)If sufficient interest is gained a Neighbourhood Watch can be set up. If there is not sufficient interest, rather than lose a willing volunteer, there may still be benefits in maintaining contact. The enquirer could be asked if they would like to have their details stored on the Active Citizen System Database. This way they will be able to receive crime prevention material and information on local crime trends to disseminate to neighbours. It may be in the future that this could develop and grow into a fully established Neighbourhood Watch.

7)The potential Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinatorshould be issued with aNeighbourhood Watch Registration Form (Appendix D).

Setting up a New Watch

Where possible the administrative duties required to set up a new watchwill ordinarily be undertaken by volunteers from the local Borough/DistrictNeighbourhood Watch organisation. If the volunteer network requires assistance then the processes detailed in the next two sections for setting up a new watchand a set up meeting may be undertaken by a local PCSO or NSO.

  1. One way to get a watch up and running is through a set up meeting. Set up meetings usually involve a representative from the Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation as well as a PCSO or NSO and can be held at a suitable local venue or at the new local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator’s residence.
  2. To arrange a set up meeting the new local Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinatorshould be issued with meeting notification invites (Appendix E) to give to all individuals in the proposed watch area who have shown an interest in joining the watch.
  3. For the meeting a sufficient number of Neighbourhood Watch packs(Appendix F)should be made up for each member of the watch. The pack could include aNeighbourhood Watch booklet, window sticker, incident report card and Home Office crime reduction advice (note actual hard copies will need to be ordered from the Home Office).
  4. To officially set upthenew Neighbourhood Watch the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator’s details will need to be added to the local Neighbourhood Watchdatabase and the Active Citizen System (if they have agreed to this) by an officer from the Safer Neighbourhood Team. It will then be possible to send crime messages to the newlocal Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator which they can circulate to all of their watch members.

Set up Meetings

If a set up meeting is arranged it should be conducted by the representative from the Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation and attended by at least one of the local Officers (PSCO or NSO) for where the new watch is located.

The meeting could cover the following topics:

  • A thank you on behalf of Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation and Surrey Police for supporting the set up of a new Neighbourhood Watchand especially to the new Co-ordinator for volunteering.
  • Brief history/background ofNeighbourhood Watch, e.g. Established in 1985 in Surrey and it is the UK’s largest voluntary safety organisation with an estimated 10 million members. Approx 125,000 households in Surrey in Neighbourhood Watch, approx XX households in your Borough/District and currently about XX watches in your town/neighbourhood (contact your local CRA for up to date figures).
  • The benefits of a Neighbourhood Watch, e.g. quote statistics that demonstrate it works such as members are 3 to 4 times less likely to be a victim of crime.
  • What watch members can expect for being part ofNeighbourhood Watch e.g. regular newsletters/crime bulletins, signs, door stickers etc.
  • What is expected of the new watch members (Appendix G)
  • Public Liability Insurance and the cover watch members receive.
  • The SurPol keyholder database ( be explained.

During the set up meeting the PCSO or NSO in attendance should brief the new watch on the local neighbourhood policing structure and explain how they work closely with Neighbourhood Watchto reduce crime in the area. Contact details should be disseminated and the use of the non emergency number should be explained. Basic crime reduction advice could also be provided at this stage.

Public Liability Insurance

Free Public Liability Insurance (PLI) cover is provided by the Home Office and is available for Neighbourhood Watch in England and Wales. It is managed by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) working in conjunction with Charities & Social Enterprise Insurance Management (CaSE).

The Surrey Neighbourhood Watch Association is registered for PLI through the above organisations and the cover is renewed on an annual basis when a new estimate of the total number of watches across the whole force is provided. This policy covers all existing and new Surrey Police recognised Neighbourhood Watches in the force and therefore individual watches or Borough/District organisations are not required to apply for a separate policy.

It should be noted that the free Home Office PLI policy applies to third party liability only and therefore if a volunteer is acting on behalf of Neighbourhood Watch they cease to be regarded as a third party and they are not covered under the PLI insurance. If required alternative employer’s liability or personal accident cover can be purchased as additional cover by individual watches or associations.

Neighbourhood Watch Signs

Neighbourhood Watch signs on streets and roads etc are the visible front to Neighbourhood Watchalong with window stickers and they are a proven crime deterrent. Instantly anyone entering an area or road can see that a watch is in operation. In general they should be placed at all vehicle and pedestrian entry points. Each Borough/District will have a different policy regarding signs both in relation to how they are obtained, paid for and erected and this will be agreed between the Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation and the local Police support lead.

Surrey Police Contact with Existing Co-ordinators

Neighbourhood Teams should be familiar with who their local Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinators are. To maintain good public relations and to ensure they know their efforts are valued, Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinatorsshould be contacted in person at least twice a year by Surrey Police. This should be through their local PCSO or NSOin one of the following ways:

  • When out and about walking the beat (day or evening), when the PCSO/NSO findsthemselves walking in a road of a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator they could see if they are home. They could then introduce themselves if they have not previously met or just have a quick chat about Neighbourhood Watchand any local issues.
  • The PCSO/NSO could try emailing all the Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators in their area about future street briefings or walk-in surgeries.
  • The PCSO/NSO could arrange a specific Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinators informal meeting inviting them all to come along and meet with them at the police station or local community centre for a cup of tea/coffee and a chat.

Resignations

Ideally the following processes will be undertaken by a volunteer from the Neighbourhood Watch Borough/District organisation, however, in instances where the support network needs some assistance then they may be undertaken by members of the local Neighbourhood Team. Where letters are to be sent to watch members, address details will need to be obtained from either the resigning Watch Co-ordinator or the Borough/District organisation.

If a local Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator decides they want to resign from their voluntary position the reasons for the resignation should be determined. An effort should then be made to resolve any issues that may have caused the decision in an attempt to retract the resignation. If this fails:

  1. The Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator should be thanked for their previous hard work and commitment.They should then be asked if they wish to remain on the Active Citizen System database as a key individual. ACS should then be updated accordingly.
  2. ‘Request for Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator’ letters (Appendix H)should be amended and produced for all houses in the existing watch to inform residents of the resignation of their Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator and possible closure of the watchunless someone else comes forward and volunteers.
  3. If no one is willing to take on the role of Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator, after approximately 1 month ‘Closure of Watch’ letters (Appendix I)will need to be appropriately amended and produced to inform members that due to no one volunteering unfortunately the watch will have to be closed. The watch should then be officially closed and administrative records updated.
  4. If a watch has to be closed then a discussion should take place between the Borough/District Neighbourhood Watch organisation and the local Police support lead about how the existing signage will be removed which may sometimes be quite problematic.

If someone comes forward to act as a new Neighbourhood WatchCo-ordinator this procedure should be followed: