Neighbourhood watch schemes are they just an excuse for nosey curtain twitchers or do they work?

Answer 1

if you have a devout band of curtain twitchers the crime rate in an area does reduce

Answer 2

Well, there is some evidence that they do have effects, but not necessarily in the intended ways.

Where they work, it is not really because of direct surveillance (ie. a neighbour seeing and reporting or intervening in a crime), but because Neighbourhood Watch meetings invigorate community activity - getting people to speak to each other, and build up relationships. They tend to work on a perception that a criminal threat is from outside the neighbourhood - if this is the case, then NW schemes can work.

However, communities and neighbourhoods may be in a position of community cohesion already, and NW schemes don't really add to this cohesion - they merely reflect it.

Alternatively, NW schemes could actually make the problem worse. If people perceive the crime related problems to be related to people within the neighbourhood, then NW meetings, where people sit around and talk about these problems, can exaccerbate fears, disquiet and fatalism. This, in turn, can result in people withdrawing from community life, by staying in private residences, stopping using public spaces, or even moving out.

As is usually the case with crime prevention measures, it is far too simplistic to assume that any measure will solve all, or even any, problems in all areas. The need is to design measures that fit the context and problems in any particular area.

Answer 3

I live in a square of 14 houses and we've all just joined Neighbourhood Watch. We all look out for each others welfare anyway but joined the scheme in the (misguided?) hope it might give us a bit more clout with the local bobbies if anything should happen - at the moment they appear on average 3 day days after a report. We can only try...

Answer 4

Hahah, My house is surrounded by Old ladies curtain twitching, as a result I cant do anything `Naughty` not that I would do, But I can leave my car unlocked with all the windows open and it takes about 5 minuets befor one of them has let me know, its also very safe around here for the childeren to play on their bikes etc as the old ladies are better than Securicor and Mi5 put together, Once you have made freinds with one of them you will have made freinds with all of them, they keep brining me tea and biscits when I am fixing my car, its strange at first but as i said get on the right side of them, which is easy a nice smile when you see one and a wave hello, and you have no need for CCTV or a great big dog.

Answer 5

No, you are right, weve had alot of problems with our oldish neighbours they were complaining about myself and my partner left right and centre for absolutely nothing, even just for having one woman friend come round to visit and what time we go to sleep of a nighttime (we live in a block), but when our car was graffitied (by human excrement!) and broken into, nobody saw or reported a thing. I hate the bloody curtain twtchers, its one rule for them and another for the rest xxxx

Answer 6

i'm negative i'm the international noisiest neighbour,and im also thoroughly indiscreet too.we stay next to a element crossing,anytime a prepare is going with the help of I actually have a wee peek out the window no longer confident why or what i'm waiting for to work out except a quickly-paced passenger prepare

Answer 7

i think they are good, i wouldnt think of a neighbour looking out for my property when im away as a curtain twitcher. i'd do the same for my neighbours.

Answer 8

One of the most effective deterrents to crime is a body of people devoted to observing what is happening, and reporting it. It allows other citizens to maintain their routine, bit does not give the criminal the opportunity to use the victim's routine as an opportunity to commit the crime. They do work.

Answer 9

Neighbourhood Watch has been shown to work

Answer 10

Being a nosey neighbourgh, may just one day stop a terrorist act, and in light of todays events, none of us can afford to be
complacent.