I. If you are concerned about crime in your neighbourhood and wish to implement a
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH program in your area, you must first contact the Police
Services Community Relations or Crime Prevention Bureau. If there is a program
already organized in your area, you will be referred to the local program representative
who will assist you in getting involved.
II. If there is not a program ongoing in your area, you should follow these steps:
- Canvass your neighbourhood to determine how many of your neighbours are as
concerned as you, and those who are interested in participating in the program. This
may be done by contacting them in person, distributing pamphlets door to door or by
mail delivery. - After this has been completed and you are confident you have neighbours interested
in participating, arrange for a meeting place large enough to hold your group or arrange
for a zoom information session. - Contact the Police Liaison (crime prevention officer) to arrange a mutually agreeable
date and time for the meeting. - Establish a map outlining your NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH boundaries, dividing your area into blocks,
- At the meeting, the Police Liaison will explain the NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH concept,
Home Security Audit, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and the
method of reporting incidents to the Police Services. Your purpose of the meeting will not only be to convey this information to your neighbours, but also to identify Block Captains and Assistants for those Blocks not having a volunteer. One volunteer on each block will ensure at least one candidate for Block Captain or Assistant. Once the above steps are completed, check with the local Police Service or local representative of Neighbourhood Watch in your area as to the requirements needed for recognition of the Neighbourhood Watch program.
Neighbourhood Watch is different in each community, in some the Police Services Liaison will require complete residents list and in others, the names of the Watch Coordinator and Block Captains are sufficient.
III. Time and houses:
We try to get 50% of the houses in the area to participate but that is not a hard and fast rule.
When you think you have enough buy in to cover the desired area the we can look into booking a meeting.
There is a 3 month wait period to ensure the group is going well prior to us contacting the city.