Harmful Neighbourhood Watch stereotypes do not reflect group’s work

Neighbourhood Watch volunteers do a lot of quiet work in the cause of crime prevention.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

This includes running workshops to stop young people carrying knives, educating older people to detect the signs of potential scams and producing crime prevention toolkits which tackle human trafficking and terrorism.

In passing, many events in West Sussex would not be able to take place without the assistance of the West Downs Neighbourhood Watch Task Force, which provides road closure and other services.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sadly, the old negative stereotype of Neighbourhood Watch members as nosy curtain twitchers still persists, with members often portrayed as busy-bodies rather than citizens trying to make a positive impact upon their communities.

Neighbourhood watchNeighbourhood watch
Neighbourhood watch

|Also in the news - one Littlehampton man has taken his war on trigger-happy traffic wardens to the next level; the top ten for the Herald and Gazette Takeaway of the Year competition have been revealed and voting is now open to crown a winner; and police have insisted Worthing is a safe place to live and visit following a town centre stabbing on Monday|

“Isn’t it snitching?” we were once asked by a youth at a town centre event some years ago when we emphasised the need to report crime to the police.

No, I assured him, it was all about acting like a responsible citizen. If he had found out an elderly relative of his was being defrauded by some scammer and then reported it, would that have been snitching?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

John Hayward-Cripps, chief executive of the Neighbourhood Watch Network, said: “Neighbourhood Watch volunteers are often characterized as a group of middle-class keyhole Kates – spying on the neighbours and interfering in people’s lives. This lazy stereotyping is harmful and does not reflect the real work of the modern Neighbourhood Watch.

“The majority of police officers embrace the knowledge and insight that our volunteers bring with them. We are viewed as vital partners in the effort to create safer and stronger communities. Neighbourhood Watch is a grassroots movement open to anyone who wants to make their community a safer place. We would urge people to think twice before making assumptions about us.”

East Worthing Community Panel will be at East Worthing Community Centre, Pages Lane on Tuesday at 6.30pm.

• Tim Drew is the secretary and press officer for the Worthing Neighbourhood Watch Association. For more information about the Worthing & Adur Neighbourhood Watch Associations click here.

---

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Benefit from an ongoing discount on your Herald by joining our voucher membership scheme. Once you’ve subscribed we’ll send you dated vouchers which can be exchanged for your paper at any news outlet. To save money on your Herald simply click here.