Our Say: Victoria Police and Neighbourhood Watch |
|
| Thursday, 05 November 2009 13:41 |
|
While changes are occurring, Victoria Police continues to fully support Neighbourhood Watch. Neighbourhood Watch volunteers and operational police work together throughout the state on a range of crime prevention and community safety initiatives. There are also 23 full time police Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators working across the state. While police will no longer be attending Neighbourhood Watch area meetings solely to provide crime statistics, changes being brought will strengthen relations between police and Neighbourhood Watch overall. Police will still visit Neighbourhood Watch when invited to be involved in and support the development of crime prevention and community safety initiatives. Over the years the Neighbourhood Watch model of operation has changed very little. Since its inception in the early 1980s, crime trends and the way that police deliver services to the community have changed greatly. It is now universally agreed that there is a need to modernise Neighbourhood Watch. By aligning to Police Service Areas and focusing on a broader range of crime prevention and community safety initiatives, Neighbourhood Watch will ensure it remains effective and helps Victoria Police work toward creating safer communities. Neighbourhood Watch is currently forming police service area (PSA) Neighbourhood Watch Committees to better align with the way that Victoria Police operations are organised. This change will allow for better liaison between Neighbourhood Watch, police, local government and other stakeholders and will be more focused on developing and implementing crime prevention and community safety initiatives that create safer communities within the broader community. A key change is to refer those seeking information about crime to the Victoria Police website. Crime statistics are readily available on line via the Victoria Police My Place website (http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/myplace). The Neighbourhood Watch PSA model will be more flexible and inclusive and will create many more opportunities for people to be involved in the movement.
Superintendent Tony de Ridder Share This Page  
 |
