Neighbourhood Watch

When starting a Neighbourhood Watch group you need to consider whether you want to be an Active Volunteer by registering your group or by forming an informal participation group. By being an Active Volunteer you will be committing to undertaking projects, events and activities that promote the Neighbourhood Watch philosophy in your community.

Before becoming an Active Volunteer and starting a group it is a good idea to first find out if your neighbours are interested in the idea.  The group should be a size that is easy to manage, it is often easier to start smaller and then expand. Your group must adhere to the NHW Volunteer Guidelines and be able to undertake projects/programs and events that promote the NHW philosophy.

When you have established how you will set your group up you should hold a meeting.  At this meeting you can make decisions about why you want to have a NHW group, and also about how it will run.  Prior to the meeting, you may wish to get in touch with your local Police or the Shire of Northam to see how they can support your group.

Some questions to consider –

• Why do we wish to set up a Neighbourhood Watch group?

• What are our local concerns?

• What can we do to address these concerns?

• What do we want to achieve as a group?

• How can we contribute to making our community safer?

Other questions regarding the organisation of the group to consider are:

• Who will be the coordinator of the group?

• How will members of the group communicate?

• How often will the group communicate?

It should be discussed that as a group members will be required to become Active Volunteers and register with NHW WA.  It is not strictly necessary to hold meetings; you may already have a means of communicating which allows discussion and agreement amongst your members. Consider the below communication forums:

• Email

• Word of mouth

• Telephone

• Text message

• Social media – Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp

Once you have established your NHW Group you may wish to register your group through the following link. https://www.nhw.wa.gov.au/Get-Involved/Register-Form 

Joining a Neighbourhood Watch Group

Useful Links

https://www.nhw.wa.gov.au/