The Neighbourhood Watch is an organization set in place to safeguard suburban communities. Different Neighbourhood Watch groups are established to cover individual residential areas. Regular meetings are held with neighbourhood watch members and key figures from the community to ensure that common objectives are put in place to benefit the community as a whole.

Neighbourhood watch groups work in combination with security fixtures to cover whole areas; protecting communities from crime.

The Neighbourhood Watch is the UK’s largest program for promoting community wellbeing and safety. Britain’s numerous Neighbourhood Watch groups have a combined membership of almost ten million people.

The Neighbourhood Watch works by gathering people within communities and giving them a chance to discuss ideas for improving safety. These groups of people work with local police forces to bring a benefit to the community. The benefit is peace of mind that crime is being actively reduced in the area.

The Neighbourhood Watch actively works to protect people and their properties and remove the threat of crime from communities. This is achieved by raising awareness of ideas for how to improve home security, encouraging people to be more proactive and staying alert to possible risks in the area.

This vigilant surveillance is a key aspect of the Neighbourhood Watch’s work. Neighbourhood Watch Members are encouraged to keep an eye out for suspicious activity in an area and accurately report it to the police. Neighbourhood Watch members also keep an eye on each others property while they are away. This helps to develop a strong sense of community spirit where people are free to feel safe.

Local Neighbourhood Watch initiatives have a structure to help keep their members up to date with current information and to spread awareness.

Groups of members representing the local community meet and make plans under their group co-ordinator. The group is supported by the police and in some areas a local Neighbourhood Watch Association. The co-ordinator works voluntarily relaying information from the police to other members of the watch. Co-ordinators help to arrange meetings and co-ordinate group events. They sometimes receive equipment such as UV markers or sample alarms and surveillance equipment to present to members.

Neighbourhood Watch groups can vary in size depending on the populace of the local area. The emphasis of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme is on working as a community. Although the police do support Neighbourhood Watch groups they do not organise them. The success of the neighbourhood watch group depends on the success of the community and its contributions.