Homewatch

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CATwalks are your opportunity to highlight the problems that you would like the police and/or the borough council to pay particular attention to. If you would like to join in just turn up - you will be very welcome!

Homewatch areas

Bollington presently has ten Homewatch areas but it is time we had more, lots more. About 40 groups would be needed to cover the whole town.

What is Homewatch?

Homewatch* is a scheme that was originally brought from the USA in 1982 by the then Chief Constable of Cheshire and first tried out in the rural village of Mollington to help residents become more aware of their surroundings and the goings on in their street. By noticing unusual activity and reporting that to the Police it was hoped, and has been proven, that theft from homes and businesses, and car crime, can be significantly reduced.

The scheme immediately led to a reduction in crime and an increase in the arrest rate of miscreants. As a result of this success Homewatch has been introduced all over the country and taken up by countries all over the world.

Each local scheme generally encompasses a street or a close or a group of small streets. My own area includes just eight houses in one street which logically fit together in one group.

* Homewatch is also known as Neighbourhood Watch in some areas.

Why do we need more Homewatch groups in Bollington

There can't be anyone in Bollington who doesn't know that we have a problem in the town, particularly with teenagers. You will be well aware of the limited attention that the police are able to give us, and everywhere else - they are spread very thin on the ground.

Homewatch is a great scheme for extending the long arm of the law into our own streets without the need for more police. It enables us, the public, to use our eyes and ears for the benefit of the police.

We presently have ten groups in Bollington, with others likely to be established. We need to cover the whole town, and there is no reason why we should not be able to do this. All it needs is volunteers to co-ordinate the groups to get the scheme running all over town.

How does Homewatch work?

At the outset, when a new group is established, the Cheshire Constabulary Homewatch Coordinator, Jane Thirsk, will visit the group in a convenient home and describe the scheme, showing you how watchfulness can lead to identifying the activities of troublemakers such as burglars, con merchants, car thieves and many other undesirables.

Watching each other's homes while folk are away is a very valuable service members can perform for each other. Jane shows how this can be done without being nosey and getting you a bad reputation!

Each Homewatch area is marked by one or more signs, you've probably seen them; a triangular sign with a Homewatch logo on it and the words 'Home Watch'. These signs are very well known to the criminal fraternity and they will often decide, very wisely, to go and look for pickings elsewhere. The signs cost £31 each (at 12/03) which includes fixing it to an appropriate lamp or other existing post. This cost has to be carried by the members of the group - as little as a couple of pounds each.

How do I start a new group in my street?

Send an email to Jane Thirsk at her Wilmslow office and she will send you some introductory information. You then need to discuss your ideas with your neighbours and see if there is a general interest in a Homewatch scheme in your street. Arrange a date for Jane to come and see you all and invite the neighbours to come and listen to her - you'll enjoy it!

One member of the group will need to volunteer to be group coordinator - like a secretary to the group, providing Jane with a point of contact. It is helpful if the coordinator has email so that they can receive Jane's regular bulletins as quickly as possible. These can be distributed by email to those members of the group who have email and it will be necessary to print a copy for anyone who doesn't have email. Coordinating a group is a very simple task and it takes very little time. Now have a look at the other pages in this set - the links are at the top of the page.