Neighbourhood Watch toasts 30 years of work

29 June 2012

For the past 30 years Neighbourhood Watch has helped fight crimes in towns and villages across Northamptonshire.

The contribution of the organisation has been praised by Northamptonshire Police for being an “invaluable asset”.

There are currently more than 1,200 established schemes across the county, and nationally the organisation is thought to have contributed more than £26.5bn to the fight against crime during the last 30 years.

Chief Inspector Fay Tennet said: “Neighbourhood Watch and Northamptonshire Police have been working well together for a long time. People think it’s just nosey neighbours, but it actually helps us a lot.

“They always provide valuable information and help us to push out our crime prevention message – it’s an invaluable asset. With the recent quadruple murder of the Ding family, they helped us to deliver leaflets and messages of assurance to residents. I know of one incident in the Kettering area where information provided by a Neighbouhood Watch co-ordinator led to the discovery of a cannabis factory.

“We would like to see more schemes in high crime areas as these are often the areas where communities feel disengaged.”

Ian Fearnley, who has been chairman of the county’s Neighbourhood Watch for five years and been involved in the organisation for the past 20 years, said he was grateful for the contribution made by all the county’s volunteers.

He said: “We have got 1,250 schemes in the county at the present time – we think that is representing something like 45,000 households and about 100,000 members. I think it’s as strong as it has ever been in the county.”

Mr Fearnley wanted to thank the Swivel Club for donating high-visibility shirts and jackets.

Anyone interested in starting a Neighbourhood Watch in Northamptonshire can call 01933 229499.

Article courtesy of Northants Telegraph.