Review of Government strategy for Neighbourhood Watch

1
Review of Government strategy forNeighbourhood
Watch

• Policy context

Slides accompanying an oral presentation to given
to the National Strategy Group for Watch
Issues July 2008
NSGWI/08/18
2
British Crime Survey 07/08 Results (1)

• Statistical report on Neighbourhood Watch
  membership published in May (part of third
  supplement to 07/08 Government Crime Statistics).
• Neighbourhood Watch membership has gone down
  households in schemes has fallen from 27 (6m
  households) in 2000 to 16 (3.8m households) in
  2008.
• 65 respondents reported there was no scheme in
  their area.
• Three-quarters of these said they would join if a
  scheme existed.

3
British Crime Survey 07/08 Results (2)

• Membership tends to be higher in areas where
  crime tends to be lower
• 19 of homeowners are members, but only 9 and
  10 respectively of social and private renters
  are
• 28 of households in wealthy achievers areas
  are members, but only 7 of households in hard
  pressed areas are
• 21 of rural households are members, but only 15
  of urban households are.
• Results suggest membership has fallen and is
  still un-representative demographically but
• (a) burglary has also fallen (a contributing
  factor?)
• (b) representation remains high, and there is an
  extremely encouraging desire to get more involved.

4
British Crime Survey the full story?

• Face-to-face interviews with 45,000 people (75
  of total approached).
• Representative sample, but because it is a sample
  survey
• it cannot provide data at local level (below
  police-force area)
• estimates are subject to sampling variation and
  Home Office statisticians only report changes
  that are statistically significant.
• Like the crime stats, results should therefore be
  used alongside collateral data sources, including
  PLI registrations, and police-force and NW
  associations records where available.

5
Crime Communities Review (1)

• Undertaken by Louise Casey on behalf of the PM
  and Home Secretary.
• NW schemes and representative groups included in
  consultation exercises. NW cited often by
  participants (see next slide).
• Report, Engaging Communities in Fighting Crime,
  published by Cabinet Office in June.
• Chapter 5 (The citizen role in tackling crime)
  particularly of interest in respect of NW.
• Proposals picked up in the Governments White
  Paper on empowerment and Green Paper on policing.
• Louise Casey appointed Neighbourhood Crime and
  Justice Adviser (from mid-August 2008), and will
  delivering a programme of work including
  implementing some of her proposals.

6
Crime Communities Review (2)
What do the public think they can do? (Casey,
page 73.)
From the Review
Engaging the public and barriers to getting
involved (Casey, page 76. Emphasis added.) In
public opinion surveys in April 2008, we asked
what, if anything, would encourage them to do
more to help reduce crime 29 wanted more
information on how to get involved 19 wanted
more schemes to get involved in 17 simply
wanted to be asked 6 said they would do more
if there was a financial contribution to the
community in return and 5 would be motivated
by a personal financial contribution.
7
Empowerment White Paper (1)

• Dept. for Communities Local Government (CLG)
  was lead Government Department.
• Home Office approached about chapter on
  encouraging active citizens, particularly the
  role of Neighbourhood Watch (now and in future)
  on building community resilience to ASB,
  community safety, etc.
• CLG wanted to meet with some of the people
  involved at grassroots level. This led to the
  focus groups necessarily set up at very short
  notice.
• Focus-group findings will also inform
  Governments strategy for Neighbourhood Watch.
• White Paper published 9 July as Communities in
  Control Real People, Real Power.

8
Empowerment White Paper (2)

• No detailed proposals on NW left out to provide
  more scope for further development work to be
  done.
• But
• Home Office will take forward the Casey proposal
  to support community groups to play a stronger
  role in tackling crime through the Community
  Crime Fighter programme
• It will be an opportunity to increase the
  visibility and effectiveness of the many and
  diverse local groups already working in the
  communitysuch as Neighbourhood Watchand to
  extend involvement into new areas and include new
  citizens.
• (extracts from para. 4.33, emphasis added)
• Neighbourhood Watch groups (as organised groups
  of local people) may also benefit from other
  measures set out in the White Paper.

9
Policing Green Paper

• Green Paper, From the Neighbourhood to the
  National Policing Our Communities Together,
  published 17 July by the Home Office.
• Messages in the Empowerment White Paper (see
  previous slide) are repeated in a section
  entitled Citizen Responsibility and Community
  Participation (Green Paper paragraphs 1.35 to
  1.43), underlining the Governments commitment to
  delivery in this area.

10
Government approach

• In summary, the Governments approach is to
  support the Neighbourhood and Home Watch
  Movement, to involve more people in making their
  communities safer, and in particular to

• Increase membership in new areas, particularly
  hard-pressed areas
• Involve a wider section of society
• Roll out good practice, for example supporting
  people who are vulnerable or fearful of
  reprisals.