HertsWatch Vision Statement
To manage an effective organisation of volunteers who promote interaction with all sectors of the community and who positively engage with the Police, the Police Authority and all associated partners in order to create safer neighbourhoods where crime and the fear of crime is reduced.

History
Neighbourhood Watch started in the USA in the early 1970’s and began in this country in 1982 and in London in 1983 as part of the then Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Kenneth Newman’s Corporate Strategy.

Herts Watch
A review of Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) was carried out by the Police Authority for Hertfordshire which recommended improved support for NHW from the Police. In 2004 a working party under the direction of a NHW Project Officer was formed by the Chief Constable, this included representatives of the Police Authority, Police Force and volunteer NHW members from around the county. The developmental work culminated in the production of a document called, “NHW in to the Future”, which detailed 5 key recommendations and a structure for the development of NHW in Hertfordshire.

Organisation Chart of Neighbourhood Watch

In order to develop and implement these criteria, it was agreed to form a county-wide committee, which was named “HertsWatch”

Documentation
Development at county level continued once these initial recommendations were accepted.  As opportunities arose, additional documentation was introduced to include

• Memorandum of Understanding
• Constitution
• Handbook for Co-ordinators

A Memorandum of Understanding
The NHW Memorandum of Understanding was written to underpin the commitment to NHW schemes by the Police, the Police Authority and Neighbourhood Watch members.  It aims to form a basis for the sharing and spreading of best practise, the development of consistency throughout the county and acts as an agreement between Herts Watch, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire Police Authority regarding the minimum standards of service each may expect of the other.

Roles and Responsibilities

The HertsWatch Committee
The HertsWatch committee meets at least quarterly to discuss matters of concern or interest, to share best practice and work to increase the effectiveness of NHW.  The HertsWatch committee comprises the following personnel:-

• ten Community Co-ordinators representing each of the districts in the county
• senior police officers
• one or more representatives from the Police Authority
• the NHW project management team.
• Invited guest speakers
• co-opted members designated to a specific task or project

Deputy Community Co-ordinators are encouraged to attend from time to time, in order to preserve continuity and maximise involvement.
The Community Co-ordinators are elected by the NHW members in their district according to the Constitutions adopted by their Associations.  The chairman of the HertsWatch committee is elected by the Committee.
An agenda is set and circulated before each meeting, and Minutes and Action points are recorded.  Principle reports are circulated before the meeting in order to save time.
Each district in Herts Watch endeavours to organise an annual or bi-annual conference for all those actively involved with NHW and other like community schemes.
Community Co-ordinator (CCo)
Community Co-ordinators are the key to the working of NHW in their district. They are the main point of contact for Neighbourhood issues with the Police and other agencies at a local level. Each Community Co-ordinator (CCo) sits on a District Steering Group, which meets regularly according to need.  These meetings number at least three per year but can be more frequent. At these meetings local issues are discussed and acted upon.

The Community Co-ordinator strives to fulfil and develop the following issues:-

• Form a liaison and maintain contact with the Watch Liaison Officer (WLO), Neighbourhood Officers, Police Community Support Officers and the Ward Co-ordinators.

• Circulate information from the Police, HertsWatch or Local Council in a time and manner relevant to the information provided.

• Encourage people to report anything suspicious to the police on 0845 33 00 222 and remind them to state they are a member of NHW and ask for a log number.

• Assist the WLO with any vulnerable people system in their district

• Welcome new Ward Co-ordinators and explain their role within the structure of NHW locally and that of the Community Co-ordinator within HertsWatch.

• Where possible attend NHW Ward meetings in order to receive updates and to exchange ideas, discuss issues and possible solutions using best practise advice.

• Where necessary improve the effectiveness of NHW in their district

• Attend Steering Group Meetings for the district

• Attend the bi-monthly HertsWatch meetings and feed back any relevant information to the Ward Co-ordinators and Watch Liaison Officers.

• Develop a good relationship with the local Crime Prevention Officer and support Crime Prevention initiatives.

• Encourage other interested people to become NHW Co-ordinators as a way of expanding NHW and other associated watches across the county

Each NHW district will finance their own Association from grants given by HertsWatch, Hertfordshire Constabulary or the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) boards. Additional fund raising will be left to the discretion of the individual Association.

In order to carry out their role effectively, Community Co-ordinators may claim for repayment of expenses on production of receipts.  This may be directly to HertsWatch (e.g. travelling expenses to attend HertsWatch meetings) or via the Watch Liaison Officer or Treasurer of the appropriate District NHW Association.

Steering Committees
The purpose of this Committee is to bring together the key personnel in NHW and Neighbourhood Police Teams, enabling them to address local needs, produce an Action Plan and ensure that good two-way communication is maintained

The Community Co-ordinator will form a Steering Committee and hold regular meetings at which such issues and developments will be discussed and acted upon.  Although there is some variety throughout the County, the Committee will include

• the Community Co-ordinator
• the WLO
• the Deputy Community Co-ordinator
• the Senior Neighbourhood Team Officers. 

Other specialist personnel, such as members of the CDRP, the Crime Prevention Officer or representatives from local businesses may be co-opted onto the committee when a need arises.

If there is an active NHW Forum or Neighbourhood Panel in the district, the work of this group should be fed into the Steering Group.

One or more Deputy Community Co-ordinator(s) should also be appointed in each district.  These persons should come from a town or ward other than that of the CCo.  Deputies should be full, active members of the Steering Committee, and could be used to form and chair sub-groups as and when the needs arose.

The Committee may elect a Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
All meetings should have an Agenda which contains a series of Standing Items and detailed Minutes with action points that should be recorded.  A copy of these Minutes should be sent to the County NHW Project Officer.

Agenda items should include the following:-

• Community Co-ordinator’s report
• WLO report
• Police report
• Financial report
• Details of current schemes, new schemes, schemes lost since last meeting
• Training
• Business plan monitoring and development
• New watches
• Fund raising and sponsorship

The CCo report should contain the following items

• Reports from local forums and Area Co-ordinators’ meetings
• Concerns raised by NHW members
• Ideas for local initiatives
• Activities being undertaken in HertsWatch meetings
• Examples of good practise and/or problem solving techniques

The WLO report should contain the following items

• Details of new watches
• Details of meetings attended and any associated training
• Good news stories
• Examples of good work achieved by NHW members
• Details of signage changes
• Meetings or training sessions attended
• Statistics obtained from the Constabulary regarding the number of NHW calls to the Call Centre at HQ

Annual audits will be carried out by the WLO and/or CCo to ensure that financial records are correct.

The CCo and WLO should ensure that NHW co-ordinators are made aware of important actions and issues and have the opportunity to see Minutes of steering committee meetings if requested.

Action Plans
Each Steering group should prepare an Action Plan to ensure that targets are met and improvements are delivered. These plans should be reviewed regularly and although targets in each district will differ, the effectiveness of the Steering Group will need to be measured. Access to statistics from OWL, The Call Centre at HQ, Midas and other systems should be utilised to achieve this monitoring.

Ward /Area Co-ordinator
These people look after a group of NHW road or street co-ordinators within a fixed area or electoral ward. As a Ward Co-ordinator they are the representative for the Ward in which they live and they deal either directly or through the Community Co-ordinator with the Police and other agencies.

The Area / Ward Co-ordinator strives to develop the following issues:-

• Form a two-way communication link with the WLO, Neighbourhood Officer, Police Community Support Officer, Community Co-ordinator and the NHW Road Co-ordinators in the Ward

• Circulate information from the Police, Community Co-ordinator or Local Council in a time and manner relevant to the information provided.

• Encourage people to report anything suspicious to the police on 0845 33 00 222 and remind them to state they are a member of NHW and ask for a log number.

• Promote the use of Crimestoppers telephone number (0800 555 111) as an alternative method of anonymously reporting useful information to the Police.

• Assist the WLO with any vulnerable residents scheme in the Ward

• Welcome new Road Co-ordinators and explain their role and that of Ward Co-ordinator

• Where possible arrange NHW Ward meetings at a local level, whereby information is received and the development of “good practise” is achieved.  These should take place at least twice a year but may be more frequent if required. The WLO and Neighbourhood Officers may be invited to attend

• Where necessary improve the effectiveness of the NHW Co-ordinators in the area by offering regular encouragement and support

• Develop local Crime Prevention Initiatives, having discussed the implications with the CCo, WLO, and Neighbourhood Officers beforehand

• Encourage other interested people to become NHW Co-ordinators in order to maintain continuity within your local scheme

In order to carry out their role effectively, Area / Ward Co-ordinators may claim for repayment of expenses on production of receipts.  This may be via the Watch Liaison Officer or Treasurer of the appropriate District NHW Association.
Street / Road Co-ordinator

A street or road co-ordinator looks after a number of properties in the street or road where they live.  They work with and act as a focal point for the residents to voice their local views and concerns.

The Street / Road Co-ordinator strives to develop the following issues:-

• Keep an up to date list of NHW members and their details

• Maintain regular contact with your members

• Circulate information from the Police, Ward Co-ordinator or Local Council in a time and manner relevant to the information provided.

• Encourage NHW members to report anything suspicious to the police on either the 999 (Emergency) or 0845 33 00 222 (Non-emergency) numbers and remind them to state they are a member of NHW and ask for a unique reference number (URN).

• Promote the use of Crimestoppers telephone number (0800 555 111) as an alternative method of anonymously reporting useful information to the Police.

• Keep a list of all vulnerable residents in their Watch and advise the Ward Co-ordinator and Watch Liaison Officer (WLO).  Also try to arrange a “buddy” system whereby a member (or members) keep in regular contact with them to check they are alright.

• Welcome new neighbours and give them a Welcome Pack which is available from your WLO or Community Co-ordinator

• Ensure that all members have up to date and relevant Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Prevention literature

• Where possible attend NHW Ward meetings to receive information relevant to the local area and to have an opportunity to air and exchange views, problems and resolutions. 

• Form and maintain a two-way communication link with the WLO, Neighbourhood Officer and Police Community Support Officer

• Keep a positive approach towards Neighbourhood Watch and encourage each member of your community to look out for one another.

• Encourage other interested people to become NHW Co-ordinators in order to maintain continuity within the local scheme

• Advise the WLO when they leave the area or pass on the role to someone else

In order to carry out their role effectively, Street / Road Co-ordinators may claim for repayment of expenses on production of receipts.  This may be via the Watch Liaison Officer or Treasurer of the appropriate District NHW Association.

Household watch member
Household Watch members are asked to take an active role in caring for their neighbourhood.  They should be encouraged to pass on to the police or local authority any information that might be useful in solving a crime or building intelligence to help resolve criminal or anti-social problems.

This could be achieved by:-

• direct contact with the WLO or members of the local Neighbourhood Police team,

• using the designated Emergency / Non-emergency telephone numbers at the Hertfordshire Call Centre   (999 or 0845 33 00 222 respectively)

• using  the Crimestoppers telephone number (0800 555 111) to offer information anonymously

• seeking help in understanding how to become more observant about crime related matters in their locality

• helping household members to recognise that NHW is a self-help group that welcomes pro-active involvement and good communication

• helping to develop a positive community spirit within the area.
  

Watch Liaison Officers (WLOs)
In each of the ten county districts there will be a WLO appointed by the Constabulary to work in conjunction with the Community, Ward and Street Co-ordinators.

The post of WLO is crucial to the success of NHW with the post holder being a central part of the safer neighbourhood team, acting as both catalyst and conduit for watch activity within their area.

The Watch Liaison Officer strives to fulfil and develop the following issues:-

• WLOs to be properly trained to an acceptable standard to enable them to perform effectively and given sufficient resources to be effective in their post.

• To give timely feedback in relation to information and intelligence provided by Neighbourhood Watch and community watch members and to send thank you letters where appropriate

• WLOs to organise and attend all NHW start-up meetings in conjunction with the Community Co-ordinator or his /her Deputy

• WLOs to maintain existing NHW schemes by entering and updating data onto the OWL system, distributing Crime reports and other useful information and liaising with Ward, Area and Street Co-ordinators whenever relevant
  

Other Watch Schemes
Other Watches schemes may be set up from time to time when there is a need in an area to deal with “non-residential” issues.
These may include:-

Boat Watch
Business Watch
Dog Watch
Farm Watch
Forecourt Watch
Horse Watch
Junior Watch
Pub Watch
Rural Watch
School Watch
Shop Watch
Village Watch

For further details on the different watches please contact your local Watch Liaison Officer.