Form a Neighbourhood Watch
What is Neighbourhood Watch?
Neighbourhood Watch is a crime-prevention program that gets citizens involved in discouraging and preventing crime by watching out for their neighbours and their neighbours’ property.
How does it work?
Neighbourhood Watch is simple: by getting to know the neighbours around you, you’ll be better able to recognize a person or activity that is suspicious. Neighbourhood Watch programs are done in partnership with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). The programs are coordinated through your Community Police Centre (CPC), which is the OPS unit that delivers crime prevention programs and serves as a problem solving centre within a neighbourhood. You can find your local CPC at: http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/ServingOttawa/cpc.aspx
A Neighbourhood Watch program is NOT being a busybody or vigilante. It does not involve time-consuming duties and obligations and there are no fees for service.
Benefits of Neighbourhood Watch
When you get involved in a Neighbourhood Watch program, you can learn:
- How to make your home less inviting as a target for thieves;
- How to mark your valuables so that they can be recovered in case of theft;
- How to be alert to suspicious activity in your neighbourhood; and,
- How to respond appropriately to potential threats.
How to get Involved in Neighbourhood Watch
Step 1 – Talk to your neighbours
If you think your neighbourhood could use a Neighbourhood Watch program, talk to a few of your neighbours and see if they share your concerns about issues in your neighbourhood. If you and your neighbours are in agreement, build a team that can promote the Neighbourhood Watch program to your entire neighbourhood and get a sense of people’s interest. Don’t worry if some people are not interested; full participation is rare.
In general, your Neighbourhood Watch program should have natural community boundaries, such as a street, city block or apartment building, with manageable limits. While every Watch is different, a useful guideline is that no one making phone calls or ringing doorbells should be responsible for more than 10 households.
Step 2: Hold a public meeting
The next step is to arrange a public meeting with the help of your CPC. Have a police officer attend the meeting to give a presentation on the Neighbourhood Watch program and be sure to mention this in your promotional material. Your City Councillor might also want to participate in this meeting to support your program so be sure to invite him or her. The meeting should be well publicized to encourage a good turnout and strong start-up.
Step 3: Start your Watch!
The public meeting should result in a plan to immediately address the most urgent crime or other issues identified in your neighbourhood. You will also begin to attend regular meetings with other local coordinators and community police officers, where you will benefit from presentations by crime prevention experts, and the opportunity to ask questions and exchange ideas with more experienced Coordinators.
For more details about the roles and responsibilities of Coordinators, Block Captains and Watch members, visit the OPS website: http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/crime_prevention/neighbourhood_
watch/pdf/getInvolved.pdf
Keeping your Watch going
Most Neighbourhood Watches are created to solve a specific crime problem and after the criminal activity has been eliminated, interest can drop. As time passes and Watch members begin to neglect their duties or move elsewhere, the problem may return.
Once a Watch is established, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to maintain it. The OPS offers an Autodialer or e-mail message service that you can use from time to time (e.g. bimonthly or quarterly) to share how many crimes were reported. A newsletter can be used to remind members about crime prevention best practices. Choose the activity that best suits your neighbourhood culture.
Tools and Resources
Your local CPC will supply introductory pamphlets, window stickers, as well as free access to photocopiers for your announcements. You will be able to consult with Neighbourhood Officers who are familiar with local incidents and have access to literature and pamphlets on a wide variety of topics related to public safety and crime prevention. Some CPCs also have experienced Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers who can provide helpful advice.
For contact information for Ottawa CPCs visit:
http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/ServingOttawa/cpc.aspx
The Ottawa Police website has many resources about Neighbourhood watch, including “Know Your Neighbour” cards, and tips for identifying suspicious behaviour and keeping your home safe while you are away:
http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/crime_prevention/neighbourhood_
watch/pdf/getInvolved.pdf
http://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/crimeprevention/NeighbourhoodWatch/tools_
resources.aspx
