Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe with Tony Hardman from North Warwickshire Neighbourhood Watch Stand during the Coleshill Big Day Out in 2018.
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe has used National Neighbourhood Watch Week to praise local volunteers for the work they do to help combat crime, while confirming more than £5,000 of funding for local groups.
At a time when communities have come closer together than ever before, Mr Seccombe is encouraging more residents to think about joining Watch schemes or helping to form them if they don’t currently exist where they live.
Praising Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) as a vital way for communities to work closely together to assist the police in detecting and deterring crime, Mr Seccombe says he is keen to encourage Watch schemes to continue to grow and prosper across the county.
He said: “It’s been really impressive the way in which people right across Warwickshire have come together to help each other out during the Covid-19 emergency. That surge in neighbourliness is something to be celebrated and I hope that it will continue to develop and can be harnessed to further help communities to stay safe and help to combat crime in the future.
“I want to take the opportunity during Neighbourhood Watch Week to thank all those involved in our county schemes and to encourage others to take up the mantle and become involved. If we can have more Watch Schemes running successfully, this can only help to improve the safety and security of communities.
“Neighbourhood Watch is very successful in providing extra eyes and ears on the ground to identify suspicious activity and gain useful information which helps police to investigate crime when it has occurred, as well as giving an important deterrent message to criminals in communities where strong schemes are already running.”
As part of the Commissioner’s Grants Scheme, three county groups are set to benefit from a total of £5,055 this year.
North Warwickshire NHW Association is receiving £2,205 to enable the delivery of local projects to raise awareness of crime prevention and increase engagement on community safety matters. Elsewhere, Nuneaton North East NHW Association receives £1,000 to fund the printing of its quarterly newsletters.
Meanwhile, Rugby Borough NHW is receiving a grant of £1,850 to support its core funding.
To find out more about Neighbourhood Watch in Warwickshire and how to join, visit: http://warwickshirenwa.ourwatch.org.uk/
Follow #LetsStayConnected on social media for the latest around National Neighbourhood Watch Week.
