Neighbourhood Watch
A Neighbourhood Watch is a community led initiative bringing local people together to address crime and other community safety issues in their area. Watches often liaise with local police and local authorities to raise concerns in their neighbourhood.
Neighbourhood Watch Scotland will:
- Collaborate with partners to develop community resilience.
- Grow partner and community use of Neighbourhood Alert and Scotland’s Neighbourhood Watch network.
- Enhance a sense of wellbeing by encouraging community cohesion.
What is Neighbourhood Watch Scotland?
Neighbourhood Watch Scotland is a Scottish charity which helps promote safety and resilience in our communities. It circulates safety messages using the Neighbourhood Alert system (https://www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk/sign-up-for-alerts), which comes from trusted sources keeping the neighbourhood alert.
It currently supports around 1,700 Neighbourhood Watches across Scotland, bringing people together in local and themed groups. This helps communities become safer and more resilient through awareness, advice and communication, sharing key crime and other safety-related news quickly.
There are many benefits to becoming a coordinator or member of your local Watch including:
- Access to the Neighbourhood Alert system which distributes safety information from a trusted source.
- Membership improves community spirit, resilience and a feeling of wellbeing in communities.
- It provides access to Community Policing forums and sources of support.
How can I join my local Watch?
To find out if there is a Watch in your area and join an established Watch go to https://schemelookup.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk/Content/SchemeLookup and enter your postcode. You can click on each Watch to check the encompassed area and find out if it covers your street.
What if I don’t live in a Neighbourhood Watch area?
If you do not live in a Neighbourhood Watch area you might like to consider starting your own. If so, go to https://www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk and select Sign up for Alerts.
Neighbourhood Watch is an initiative that can help bring communities and neighbourhoods together to address crime and other safety issues. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to these schemes as they can be adapted by their members.
There are a number of Neighbourhood Watch schemes in Inverclyde covering a single street or larger areas. Inverclyde Council can help members of public establish a Neighbourhood Watch scheme by providing officer support, introductions to relevant partners and free materials (subject to numbers and Neighbourhood Watch scheme finance).
Further information can be found about these schemes across Scotland by clicking on 'Neighbourhood Watch' within the external links section of this page.
If you wish to contact us to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme you can do so by using the details within the contacts section of this page.