Q. How long would I have to serve as a member of Neighbourhood Watch?

A. You're under no obligation - serve for as long or as short a time as you wish. If you do decide to leave though, it helps if you can give your street co-ordinator a little notice, so they can fill the gap you will leave.

Q. Does being a member of Neighbourhood Watch mean that I can involve my family?

A. Generally speaking, yes - but do make sure that children don't become too involved, apart from making them aware of when they themselves are at risk. Neighbourhood Watch requires maturity, judgement and an adult sense of responsibility.

Q. Will membership give the impression that I am working for the police?

A. The fact is that you are not. Everything said and written about Neighbourhood Watch shows that you are in effect doing what every responsible citizen should be doing - helping the police and your neighbours to create and maintain a safe, crime-free community.

Q. I have a disability. Will it create problems? Are disabled people really welcome in the scheme?

A. Disabled or handicapped people can often prove to be the most useful members. But if you have doubts, have a word with your Street Co-ordinator.

Q. Am I expected to patrol the streets?

Absolutely not. The police strongly discourage vigilantes and people who seek to take the law into their own hands. Apart from the risk of physical injury, there can be serious legal implications. If, however, you would like to play a more active role, you could always consider applying to join the Police as a Special Constable, you will be able to help the police on a voluntary basis as a fully trained officer in uniform.

Q. Over the years, my area has become really run-down; kids create havoc in the street and a known drug dealer lives just up the road. There's no chance for us to start a group here is there?

Our experience tells us that in any residential community, the vast majority of people, young and old alike, are decent and honest. Those few who are not however, often make daily life unbearable for the rest of us.  In most cases, the majority of residents dislike the situation but feel powerless or afraid to do anything about it. Neighbourhood Watch is an ideal vehicle for bringing these like-minded people together in order to improve the quality of life for the community. Together, you CAN make a difference!

The difficulty you are likely to experience is in getting people to stand up and make those silent voices heard. Quiet chats with neighbours may well reveal that there are more people who think just like you, they may just have been waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Once you are confident that you have some support, if you decide to go ahead, we would recommend that you act quickly; there is safety in numbers and it is advisable to give the 'bad guys' as little time as possible to react before the group is launched. Neighbourhood Watch is entirely non-confrontational and we would not want anyone to become vulnerable. It may not be difficult to 'single out' an individual, but it is much harder to take on a group of 50 like-minded residents! In any event you should involve Tendring Neighbourhood Watch and the Police at the earliest opportunity so that they are in position to give you the support you need.

If you still have reservations, we would be happy to put you in touch with one of our existing Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators who can share with you their experiences of setting up a group in similar circumstances. They can also tell you about how Neighbourhood Watch has changed their lives for the better.

Q. How is a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme funded?

Neighbourhood Watch schemes are responsible for their own funding, generally from the collection of fees from members or from other sources, which partly goes towards the cost of erection of signs by the local authority.  Some watches get funding in other ways, for example, a local business doing photocopying of newsletters.

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