Crimewatch - Frequently Asked Questions
What is Neighborhood Crime Watch?
Neighborhood Crime Watch is a formalized group of neighborhood residents who identify and report criminal and suspicious activity to police. Residents assist local law enforcement officials by promoting crime prevention strategies within their local police departments, and citizens have become increasingly interested in Neighborhood Crime Watch. Urban, suburban, and rural area residents are concerned about crime affecting their community. Although the degree of crime trends and public safety issues vary throughout the state, a resident's concern for a safe environment remains the same. By developing positive community relations between police and residents, successful neighborhood crime watch programs can be established. These partnerships will result in the decrease of crime throughout all communities.
What does a Neighborhood Crime Watch Group do?
Neighborhood Crime Watch has proven to be one of the most effective and least costly answers to crime. Residents communicating with one another and with the police naturally build strong community relations. Neighborhood Crime Watch meetings provide a forum to exchange vital public safety and crime prevention information between police and residents. As individuals become better acquainted with one another and each other's daily routine, the liklihood of immediately recognizing unfamiliar people and unusual behavior increases. Formal crime watch group meetings on a regular basis substantially improve the safety of the neighborhood and contribute to the quality of life.
How does Neighborhood Crime Watch assist police in Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, police departments have devoted many hours to Neighborhood Crime Watch activities within their communities. To organize and maintain a program is a challenge that should not be approached lightly. Many officers across the state have expressed their disappointment for starting and attempting to maintain a group, only to discover residents lose interest as time progresses. Creativity and consistency should begin with a police officer and later be passed down from resident to resident.
A group will not be successful if it is solely dependent on one police officer or even the entire police department. The secret to success is to involve, educate, and mobilize residents. Once this practice is mastered, a police officer's role becomes that of a technical assistant and a resource for crime watch activities. It is important to note that this particular approach for addressing crime does not require a "cookie cutter" approach. A neighborhood crime watch group's primary focus is to support all crime prevention programs throughout the community.
| 
