Homewatch in Audlem

Home Watch is a community scheme run by the community for the community. It operates with the help of the local police who offer support with regards to crime prevention information and details of incidents that communities need to be aware of to help residents take a proactive approach. Audlem has several home watch co-ordinators in place.

Local Watch Coordinator, Hayley Goodwin writes: " Wherever you live, you are part of a community. It may be large or small, in the country or town. It might be a suburban road, a housing estate or a village. Unfortunately, regardless of size, your community may be a likely target for crime.

"It is easy to shrug it off and assume it won’t happen to you, that nothing can be done or that it is someone else’s problem. However, you can make a difference and the success of Neighbourhood Watch proves getting together with your neighbours can assist in cutting down local crime.

"In modern society, many people lead fast paced, busy lives and as a result communities can become fragmented. Neighbours can live next door to one another for years without ever really getting to know each other.

"Neighbourhood Watch can revive the local community, because it is not just about reducing burglary figures and crime, it is about creating communities that care. It unites people with a common goal and can make a contribution to improving peoples’ lives and reducing the fear of crime in an area. The activity of watch members can ignite a new community spirit and a belief in the communities’ ability to tackle problems. At the same time you feel secure, knowing that your neighbours are looking out for you.

"Neighbourhood Watch also familiarises you with crime prevention ideas which helps to keep your house and belongings safe, by encouraging you to take better care of their families and possessions.

"Tackling crime will not happen overnight and it requires the assistance of the police and other agencies. Residents of a community possess a specialised knowledge of their neighbourhood, which even a local police officer may find hard to achieve. You are the eyes and ears of your community: a police officer may not necessarily recognise an intruder in your garden, but a neighbour with their wealth of local knowledge certainly would. It is this kind of awareness and willingness to help that is at the heart of any Home Watch scheme.

"Although, it is unlikely that crime can ever be totally eradicated in an area there are ways to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of crime. By letting the police know of anything suspicious you see or hear and by following crime prevention advice both at home and whilst out and about, you can dramatically reduce the opportunities for a crime to be committed. Multiply this by all you people sitting here tonight and you can start to turn the fear of crime in an area from the local residents, towards those who dare to commit a crime in your community.

"Home Watch is the most successful community initiative in the country. There are currently over 160,000 schemes in the UK, helping to prevent crime and disorder in over 6 million households. By being here tonight we sincerely hope that the number of households involved will grow to include you. Through all of us working together and sharing information we can make your community a safer place to live and that is a future that I am sure we can all aspire to."

If you are interested in how the Home Watch scheme works in Audlem contact the Watch Coordinator, Hayley Goodwin.

This page was last checked in July 2009. If it‘s no longer accurate, please contact us so we can keep our pages up to date.