What can you get out of Thurrock Neighbourhood Watch!
Why do these volunteers do it?Volunteers join us for a variety of reasons, but usually their wish is to encourage their neighbours together to become more able and ready to combine their goodwill and effort for the better security of their homes and surroundings.
How does NHW act?
* By spreading hints and information that can help make homes more secure. NHW collects and passes on information about products and practices that can reduce the chance of nuisance, intrusion or theft.
* By noting and passing on information about irregular local incidents. Local information, about such things as unusual parked cars or strangers behaving oddly, may be useful. NHW members keep their eyes open – you are the best observer for incidents in your own home patch – and to note down strange, or disquieting happenings [e.g., car makes, colours, or registration numbers]then pass the information on. Observant – not to say nosy - neighbours can make it harder for the would-be criminal to succeed. If a crime is committed, local information , relating to events before and after the event, can make Police efforts more effective.
* And thereby improving relations between our neighbourhood and the Police. When a crime is threatened, or committed, the Police is the force we go to. NHW enjoys a good relationship with our Police, and can also form partnerships with commercial and other organizations interested in reducing crime and nuisance. With NHW, crime-reduction can be made easier. Also the Police provides us with useful warnings and information about local criminal activity and crime-prevention — all spread using the NHW network.
Principles
Voluntary
NOTE:
How a Coordinator communicates within his own local Group remains a matter for the Group to arrange
Our Members, Coordinators and Officers are volunteers and give their time and experience for their neighbours’ and Thurrock’s benefit.
Open and non-exclusive In its organization and activity Neighbourhood Watch: * is inclusive of all residents;
* is non-political;
* is non-sectarian; and * seeks to include as a local-Group Members every resident who is willing to engage with us in pursuit of our objectives. All residents within a local Group area will therefore ini-tially be assumed to be local-Group Members
NOTE: The name and address of any resident in a Group’s area who wished not to be involved, would be deleted from Thurrock NHW membership records.
Use of E-mail?
No, this is not itself a principle, but it turns out in practice to bear heavily on our inclusivity!
To act as a Coordinator nowadays without E-mail access would be costly and very difficult. We seek not to exclude any would-be Coordinator, but should a volunteer lack personal, direct E-mail access, some means of receiving indirectly E-mail messages directed to all Coordinators would become an ur-gent, practical problem to be overcome by the volunteer within the Group.
NOTE:
How a Coordinator communicates within his own local Group remains a matter for the Group to arrange.
Funding and sponsorship
What can I do?
* Find out if you live in an established NHW area. If so, find and contact your Coordinator, but, if not then:
* Speak to your neighbours about NHW.
* Find a Coordinator — the task can be shared.
* Volunteer as a Coordinator yourself!
* Get in touch with the Thurrock Steering Group. Thurrock Steering Group.
The Home Office website says: “Neighbourhood Watch is a partnership where people come together to make their communities safer. It involves the Police, Community Safety departments of local authorities, other voluntary organisations and, above all, individuals and families who want to make their neighbourhoods better places to live. It aims to help people protect themselves and their properties and to reduce the fear of crime by means of improved home security, greater vigilance, accurate reporting of suspicious incidents to the police and by fostering a community spirit.”