PFCC Funds New Neighbourhood Watch Guide to help members fight crime
A brand-new Members’ Guide has been created to help 104,000 Neighbourhood Watch members in Essex to fight crime.
The Essex Neighbourhood Watch Association is kitting out its extensive group of members with a bespoke booklet detailing the latest crime trends, including cybercrime and modern slavery.
The first ever Essex County Neighbourhood Watch Members’ Guide was the brainchild of chairman and secretary Clive Stewart.
He said: “National Neighbourhood Watch produced a members’ guide which was very popular when it was last released. As there are no immediate plans for an updated edition, I thought it would be good to have a version produced specifically for Essex.”
With initial plans to print and distribute 15,000 copies, it was a meeting with Jane Gardner, Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex which ignited the ambition further.
The PFCC agreed to fund 30,000 copies of the Essex guide, awarding a total Crime and Disorder Reduction Grant from the 2019/20 Community Safety Fund of £4,005 for the project.
The guide Essex County Neighbourhood Watch Guide features updates from the PFCC, Essex Police, Victim Support, Crimestoppers , as well as Neighbourhood Watch’s aims, objectives and code of ethics and tips for what to do before making a non-emergency call telephoning 101 or Online.
Clive Stewart said: “This was our way of reflecting what we do in Essex. The most important thing is that our members get information that is relevant to the county. It promotes what we have been talking about and raises awareness of Neighbourhood Watch. Being supported by all of these organisations also raises our credibility.
“We are the eyes and ears of the community, but so is everyone and we do more than that.
“We tell people how to contact the police, we tell people who to contact to reduce crime; we share information from the PFCC, Victim Support, Crimestoppers and Essex Police.
“It was pleasing to get the funding to be able to do this. It’s just brilliant. Without the PFCC funding, it would have been down to all of the Neighbourhood Watch districts finding their own funding for the Members Guides. It has not ended up costing them anything and each district gets 2,000 copies each.”
The PFCC also awarded £11,000 Crime and Disorder Reduction Grant from the 2019/20 Community Safety Fund to Essex Neighbourhood Watch Association to assist with running costs and the organisation’s AGM.
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “The Essex Neighbourhood Watch Association is a brilliant organisation made up of extremely committed volunteers who really want to make Essex a safer place for everyone and help the police.
“I’m really proud that we can support them in this way.”
