Benefits of a Homewatch Scheme

By: Jeff Durham - Updated: 8 Mar 2022 | *Discuss

 

Often referred to as ‘Neighbourhood Watch’, the Homewatch Scheme is aimed at reducing crime in a particular neighbourhood. It also helps with awareness of specific issues that might be affecting your local community, and how best to prevent certain crimes from occurring. By being more vigilant and working together as a community, it reduces the potential for crime and is one way to Make Your Neighbourhood A Nicer Place To Live.

What are the Main Benefits?

This can be a comfort to all, but will be a great way to Help The Elderly, frail and disabled people in your area. And, as you’ll hold regular meetings, this will also bring a social element to the scheme.

While crime is a serious matter, a Neighbourhood Watch scheme doesn’t necessarily have to be all about gloom and doom. It’s also an opportunity to extend the meeting once the relevant issues have been discussed, and to socialise with other members of the community, and even forge friendships.

As an offshoot of that, you’ll find that neighbours tend to co-operate with each other far more. There are far fewer disputes, arguments and disagreements within communities which participate in such schemes. Furthermore, because your local community police officer will be there to support you, you’ll also have advanced knowledge of the general crime trends within your community.

This will mean that you’re better prepared and you’ll be able to report back any incidents or areas of concern that directly affect your neighbourhood, which the police may not be all that aware of.

The police officer will also be able to advise you on practical solutions to keeping both yourself, your home and all of your possessions more safe and secure. As a privilege for taking responsibility and setting up a scheme, you might also be able to benefit from price reductions of security related devices, such as alarms, certain locking devices and other equipment. You might also find that you get cheaper home insurance as a direct consequence of being a member of a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

Can Younger People get Involved too?

Teenagers should especially be encouraged to play an active role within a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. In fact, these days, they are possibly far more likely to have a ‘handle’ on what’s going on in your community, as they tend to get out and about a lot more than many adults do.

They are also more in touch with the issues which are affecting young people, which sometimes can lead to crime, and they may be able to offer suggestions on why certain crimes occur and what could replace a youth’s desire to commit crime. Teenagers will also benefit from police advice on the dangers of things like drugs and alcohol misuse, and how to deal with issues such as peer pressure.

Entire communities can get involved in these schemes, which will not only deter crime but will also educate and inform the participants. Neighbourhood Watch has its own website where you can find out more, and your local community police officer will be only too pleased to meet people who wish to start up a new scheme.

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