Running A Scheme

Coordinators should be prepared to:

• Contact every individual household in their chosen scheme area to invite and support them to become members.
• Act as a key point of contact to receive and cascade information between scheme members, other local coordinators and partners, where relevant.
• Manage scheme administration, ensuring scheme and membership information is registered in line with local policy and kept up to date.
• Signpost members with community safety issues to the most appropriate organisation.
• Encourage reporting of suspicious and/or criminal incidents to the police.
• Promote personal responsibility for community safety by encouraging members to improve home and personal security.
• Promote neighbourliness by encouraging members to share crime reduction information and keep an eye on each other’s homes and possessions, giving special consideration to vulnerable neighbours.
• Support police and other agencies to identify local issues and solve problems where there are community concerns.

Neighbourhood Watch schemes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As the scheme Coordinator, you should familiarise yourself with participating members, their preferred method of communication and the defined area of coverage for your scheme. This information should be maintained and updated on your scheme profile as and when required.