Community Poling Through Neighborhood Watch - Essay Example

Neighborhood watches have long been argued as an effective way to empower the community where its members actively participate in crime prevention. Neighborhood watches are also perceived as “easy to start” as the members would only act the role of “eyes and ears” of the police force (Williamson, 2008, p. 98). Lastly, this paper supports the hypothesis that there are many ways to gain support for a neighborhood watch if only communication, cooperation, education, and forums are to be highlighted.

Neighborhood Watch Not all people may know the concept of neighborhood watch or even its basic forms and processes. Neighborhood watch works toward the concept of crime prevention and reducing fear of crime (Stephens, 2000, p. 19). It is one of the basic forms of homeland security where community members are empowered through active participation in crime monitoring and reporting and feel safe due to the perception that community members will help one another against the threat of burglary and other projected crimes.

For the last two decades, neighborhood watch has been so popular because of its dynamics. . 270–273). There is no need for a neighborhood watch to risk their lives by going out to the suspected crime area. A simple alarm and notification system would serve the purpose of crime prevention. How do we initiate a neighborhood watch in the community? The process of neighborhood watch starts with recruitment or enlistment. First, one will enlist local members of the neighborhood to assist crime prevention officials.

Members should voluntarily agree and participate in a neighborhood watch, and coercion is prohibited. Second, they will need to contact their local law enforcement agency to schedule a meeting. Third, members will discuss community concerns and will develop a community action plan about the identified concerns. Fourth, members conduct regular meetings and trainings to develop relevant skills. Lastly, a neighborhood watch member will implement a phone tree and action steps so that a systematic and fast notification could be done regularly.

A neighborhood watch member must remember and implement these steps carefully to foster a successful neighborhood watch program which will lead to effective reduction of crime rates. The local crime prevention officer holds the most important role in a neighborhood watch including his regular attendance in the meetings. As the local crime prevention officer, he is responsible for explaining the duties of each member of the neighborhood watch. He also sets the time and place of meetings which could be held in a home or local community house.

In the said meeting, a leader of the neighborhood watch team is established, who could gather facts about the crime, check police reports, do victimization surveys, learn