Neighbourhood Watch Organisation's appeal for help in deterring crime

HERE are calls for people to help deter crime by getting involved with their local Neighbourhood Watch group.

- Carmelo GARCIA

Those behind the country's largest volunteer-led crime prevention charity say it often suffers from the "somewhat unfair" stereotype of being an "association of curtain twitchers and neighbourhood busybodies".

But the scheme, which was founded in England more than 40 years ago, is proven to deter burglaries and thefts, they say.

"The aim of Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) was, and is, to reduce the fear of crime and make people feel safe," a Gloucestershire NHW spokesperson said.

"This was achieved by neighbours talking to each other and keeping each other informed about what was going on in the neighbourhood and worked very well for many years."

They say today's society is different from the 1980s.

Online scams, cold callers, rogue traders and email hacks have increased and are a growing feature of crime around the county.