Is there a neighborhood watch in your neighborhood? There should be. According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Security, "your neighbors are among the most important crime-fighting tools you can use"(P. 142).

What exactly is a neighborhood watch?

A neighborhood watch is a group of people working together to protect the neighborhood. They agree to keep an eye out for suspicious people, reporting loiterers or those engaged in suspicious activities.

Neighborhood watches can also become involved in organizing community events related to crime and safety. This could be any variety of activities such as having a group meeting where you invite a police officer from the community to come in and talk about home security. It all depends on how active the people in your neighborhood want to be. Don't wait for somebody else to get things rolling, though. If you're willing to take the initiative, you'll probably find a lot of people interested in taking measures to keep their home and neighborhood safe.

Ways a Neighborhood Watch Can Help:

Through your membership, you'll be able to keep abreast with what's going on in your area, including learning about crimes that occur near you.

A Neighborhood Watch program will reward your participation by making your neighborhood safer. It is statistically proven that neighborhood watches are effective crime prevention tools.

A Neighborhood Watch can be a little like a Condo Board or other housing community forum in that you can use the meetings to deal with community issues such as abandoned cars, noisy neighbors, and neglected yards that devalue the neighborhood.

How to Get a Neighborhood Watch Started

You can start a neighborhood watch in any area, urban or rural. Contacting your local police station can let you know if there is already a neighborhood watch in your area. If there's not, the police can get you started with kits and information. Then you'll want to talk to your neighbors and recruit participants. Make sure to get their names and phone numbers so you can contact them when it's time to schedule meetings. Good times for meetings are usually after dinner on Mondays through Thursdays.