Neighborhood Watch Program

Neighborhood watch is an extremely organized community policing program. This program gets the neighbors involved in crime prevention in the neighborhood. In this program, there are coordinators for every 10 to 15 houses, who act as a link between the residents and the law enforcement officers. The coordinators operate closely with the residents, community members and the law enforcement officers (Jones, 2007). This program also involves neighbors watching out for each other. This is where neighbors cooperate to keep an eye on neighborhood homes. This program is possible in a neighborhood where there is cooperation. The members watch out for their neighbors houses while they are out for work, absent in the evenings or while they are traveling (Kefalas, 2003).

The purpose of this program is to have in place an alert neighborhood by employing effortless crime prevention methods. This program operates through the communal help and people watching out for one another. In the United States, block watches are usually managed by block captains. This captain is answerable to a block coordinator or organizer. It is the coordinator who works closer to a local police department. The funding of the program is usually done by the local police department and the members of the groups through fundraising in the neighborhood. The amount contributed by the two varies with neighborhoods (Jones, 2007).

The reason for having such a program in place is due to the increase in criminal activities in the neighborhood, mostly around residential areas. The increase in crime rate, especially petty crimes is a great burden to law enforcement officers. They are not in a position to handle all of such crimes. Another reason is because it is easier for neighbors to notice any stranger or a strange activity taking place in the neighborhood. Neighbors know each other, the cars driven by the neighbors and as a rule, who belongs to the neighborhood. A law enforcement officer driving by the neighborhood is not in a position to identify strangers from residents. An alert neighbor or a neighborhood watchman will identify any person who does not belong to that neighborhood. Another reason is because if when neighbors are away from there houses, they are likely to contact a person from the neighborhood whom they trust to keep watch of their house. Therefore, it is the neighbor who has the information, who is in a position to know if anything strange is happening around (Kefalas, 2003).

In case of any strange act, the neighbors or neighborhood captains can then call for help from the police. Neighborhood watch program is not advocating for vigilantism. The neighbors or neighborhood watch captains are not supposed to take the law into their own hands to punish criminals when they catch them. This is the reason why this program always operates in a close association with police patrol program. Members of the watch group are not supposed to put their lives in danger in the process of preventing criminal activities. They are only supposed to watch and report any suspicious activities in the neighborhood. This way, the work of confronting and apprehending perpetrators is left with the law enforcement officers (McLaughlin, Irby and Langman, 2001).
 
The neighborhood watch group is established from the households in the neighborhood. They hold regular meetings where at least 50 of the households are supposed to attend to ensure its effectiveness. To ensure that the closeness between the neighbors is maintained, they are encouraged to hold parties, barbeques, neighborhood cleanup campaigns and other social activities. This creates an opportunity for the residents to get to know each other. These events can also be used as a way of introducing and getting to know incoming residents. Such events are a way of fostering community attitude in the neighborhood. The residents are in a better position to identify a strange activity in a house of a person they know as opposed to someone they do not know. Researches have revealed that getting involved and showing interest in the activities of the neighborhood makes the program more effective in achieving its fundamental objective, which is the safety of the neighborhood. The crime prevention program works to ensure security of a neighborhood or a business area (McLaughlin, Irby and Langman, 2001).

The crime triangle has three elements the suspect or perpetrator, the victim and the location. This program is based on preventing criminal activities in a residential area. The suspect is any stranger coming into the neighborhood with an intention of carrying out a criminal activity. The victim is the resident whose house or property the suspect attacks. The location is the neighborhood. Crime prevention is the responsibility of every person in the neighborhood, whether you are a victim or not. Crimes in the neighborhood affect everyone. The most common crime that takes place in the neighborhood is burglary. Others include rape, drug abuse physical attacks etc. There are three elements that are required for a crime to be committed. They are the desire the ability and the opportunity. If any of the three elements is taken away, then a crime cannot be committed. The neighborhood watch program operates to reduce the opportunity. Opportunity reduction is done by creating awareness on the potential victims, that is, the residents (Baker and Wolfer, 2003).

In the year 1981, national statistics revealed that 12 of the United States populace was involved in some form of neighborhood watch. By the year 1988, it was approximated that between 7 and 20 of the residents of the United States cities were involved with the program. In the same year, a national study revealed that 38 of households in residential areas that had the program participated in the scheme. These programs varied with the areas and their organizational structures and agendas (McLaughlin, Irby and Langman, 2001).

In practice, effectiveness of neighborhood watch program is more difficult to measure. This is because the program is usually implemented together with other elements of crime prevention like police patrols, property marking as well as security surveys.  Most of the studies in this area were carried out in the 1980s by professionals and residents agree on their validity even today. In Birmingham, Alabama, fifteen neighborhoods were studied. Before the program was implemented, all the neighborhoods apart from two had experience burglary. After the implementation of the program, twelve out of the fifteen were free from burglary. In Lakewood, Colorado, there was a 77 decrease in burglary after the implementation of the program. In Cypress, California, the program reduced burglary by 52 and thefts by 54 (Bigger, 2005).

This program has become the most extensive crime prevention effort in the US. The program has had a long track of success in the country. They are associated with a decrease in crime. This is according to a new review made public by the Campbell Collaboration. The study estimates that over 40 of the United States residents stay in areas covered by this program. A broad study by the Campbell Collaboration identified 19 studies covering 43 analyses of the program. All the studies had to encompass before and after measures of crime in various areas. Twelve of the studies covering 18 analyses had enough information to justify a statistical meta-analysis. All the reviews and the meta-analysis revealed that the program was generally effective in crime reduction. The meta-analysis revealed that neighborhoods covered by this program had a decrease in criminal activities of 16 and 26 as compared to neighborhoods that are not covered. New studies are revealing new information on the effectiveness of the program. These results are also determined by the commitment of the members and the measures that they employ in implementing the program (Holloway, Bennett  Farrington, 2008).

Every member of the neighborhood watch group has a block map. The block maps list their names and addresses and are essential when reporting suspicious acts to the law enforcement officers. Sharing of information is important in the efficiency of a neighborhood watch program. It is important to keep in touch to pass information on the happenings in the neighborhood (Bigger, 2005).

There are technological opportunities that are capable of improving the effectiveness of the neighborhood watch program. The greatest opportunity is the internet and networking. Information can be delivered to the residents by the use of a website. The watch groups can establish a website that can act as an effective procedure of passing information to the residents and the law enforcement officers. This technological application can work well to help in fighting crime in the neighborhood. One limitation in the success of this technology to prevent crime is the possibility of the criminals gaining access to the website and using it to mislead the residents. Some of the criminals are experts in technology and can therefore employ it to carry out more sophisticated criminal acts, therefore increasing crime rather than preventing it. Email and other chat services can also be used to establish communications in the neighborhood. For example, if a resident realizes that a stranger is breaking into a neighbors house, heshe can send a message to other members of the neighborhood without arousing suspicion from the stranger. This is more effective than a telephone conversation which the stranger can hear and act aggressively. It is important in this case for the neighbors to leave their communication lines open. Surveillance cameras can be connected to a neighbors house. This camera can be turned on whenever the neighbor is out so that the house is kept on watch. All these technological applications can be a great success if installed and used carefully. They can also be a total failure, providing criminals with a more sophisticated avenue to perpetrate crime (Jones, 2007).

There are social factors that determine the success or failure of the program. If the society is not united, the program is likely to face a lot of difficulties. The members are supposed to be their brothers keepers and for this to happen, they need to be united. They are also supposed to contribute funds towards the success of the program. This can also be possible through corporation. Establishment of the program in a multiculture environment, like in the United States is quite challenging. One of the challenges is brought about by language problem. Many immigrants have difficulties adjusting to life in the United States and possibility of cultural disputes between residents of different backgrounds may also bring problems in the success of the program (Kefalas, 2003).
 
Neighborhood watch emphasizes education and common sense. This program focuses on surveillance and awareness as a way of preventing criminal activities and employing strategies to prevent crime. The strategies range from simple promotion of social interaction to patrols by groups of residents. Neighborhood watch brings the society together, limiting the chances of disputes in the community. Where there are disputes among members of the community, they are able to solve them effectively. The society, through its keenness and awareness is able to keep the police on their toes in ensuring that they carry out their responsibility to the society (Bigger, 2005).

Conclusion
No matter how committed and dedicated the law enforcement officers are, they cannot be in every neighborhood, and at every time. Neighbors through the neighborhood watch program are the eyes and the ears of the police in their neighborhood. Neighborhood watch program has proven to be effective in crime prevention. This program has saved the United States police departments a lot of money in handling criminal activities. There is a call for further research in the effectiveness of the program with more information on the features of the scheme and the groups where they are more effective.

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