What is Neighbourhood Watch?
Neighbourhood Watch is a crime prevention and community safety programme for urban areas. It operates as a partnership between An Garda Síochána and the public. It works on the basis that every member of a community can help to improve the quality of life in the area by keeping a look out for neighbours and reporting suspicious activities to the Gardaí.
Who can set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme?
Every community or neighbourhood, no matter how large or small, can set up a scheme. A scheme can cover a single street, an apartment complex, a part or the whole of a housing estate. The heart of every scheme is the commitment of each household taking part in it.
What are some of the aims of Neighbourhood Watch?
- To improve community safety
- To prevent crime
- To develop Garda and community links
- To increase public confidence in An Garda Síochána
- To foster a caring environment for older and vulnerable people
- To reduce anti-social behaviour, including graffiti and harassment
How do I set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme?
To set up a scheme in your area, contact your local Garda Station. The scheme may be set up in response to community demand or as a result of Garda contact. A Garda will outline what has to be done and will help to organise your first meeting. Before you set up a scheme, talk to local residents to see if they will support it. It is important to make sure that everyone taking part understands what the scheme is about.
What are the different roles in a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme?
Normally these would include:-
- The Area Coordinator
- The Street Coordinator
- The Neighbourhood Watch Member
- Young People
It is important to involve young people in Neighbourhood Watch. To this end, there are successful crime prevention and community safety initiatives aimed at Transition Year students. A number of Neighbourhood Watch schemes have involved young people in sport and environmental improvement activities.
Neighbourhood Watch will only succeed with active input from all members. Your actions and support help to make it work. Don’t leave it to others, play a part in any way you can.
What is the Garda Input into Neighbourhood Watch Schemes?
While Neighbourhood Watch is a partnership programme, An Garda Síochána will give an added commitment to its promotion, organisation and support, e.g.-
- We will include Neighbourhood Watch in all crime prevention and crime reduction strategies, including Policing Plans
- We will provide all resource material (booklets, window stickers, survey forms and administration forms)
- We will carry out another national review of Neighbourhood Watch in 2011
- Each Neighbourhood Watch scheme will be assigned a Liaison Garda
- Senior Garda managers will establish Divisional and District Neighbourhood Watch Committees
The aims of community policing
- To provide the people in an area with their own dedicated Garda, someone with whom they can discuss everyday occurrences and build up a strong and supportive personal relationship.
- To help the residents of the area to prevent crime by supporting crime prevention initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert.
- To work with other social agencies in the area to help curb crime and vandalism. (Guidelines for Making a Victim Impact Statement are available on the Garda Victim Liaison Office Tab)
** Kindly note that all enquiries in relation to local policing issues should be referred to your local Garda Station.
If you have any specific queries in relation to the National Model of Community Policing, the Garda National Community Policing Office can be contacted at:
Garda National Community Engagement Bureau
Garda National Community Policing Unit
Block 2, Floor 3, Phoenix House, 28 Conyngham Road, Dublin, D08T3CK.
Tel: +353 1 666 0000
Garda National Diversity Unit
The Garda Commissioner established the Garda Racial, Intercultural & Diversity Office, now know as the Garda National Diversity Unit in April 2000. Staff members of the unit coordinate, monitor and advise on all aspects of policing in the area of diversity.
Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau
The Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau (GNYDB) has responsibility for overseeing and developing the Diversion Programme nationally, which was put on a statutory basis under Part 4 of the Children Act 2001.
The Garda Charter “Working with our Communities”
The Garda Charter is available to download from this page in English, Irish and a number of other languages – please use the links on the right hand side.
The Garda Charter outlines An Garda Síochána’s commitment to honesty, accountability, respect and professionalism in all Garda dealings with members of the community.
The Charter has been developed as a way to communicate our commitment to developing and maintaining our relationships with the people who live, work and travel to our communities across the country.
The Garda Charter outlines important commitments we have made to members of the community. We will continue to work with members of the community, and statutory and voluntary bodies, to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour, reduce the fear of crime, promote inter-agency problem solving, bring offenders to justice and improve the overall quality of life in communities all over Ireland.
The Charter sets out a commitment that Gardaí will behave professionally, fairly, openly and with honesty towards all members of the public, accepting individual accountability and ensuring public accountability.
We will take special cognisance of the priorities and needs of local communities and endeavour to make them safer places to live, visit and work in.
The Charter acknowledges the central role community policing plays in the daily work of An Garda Síochána. We place the community at the heart of everything we do, as this alliance is our greatest asset in our work in preventing and detecting crime and protecting the safety of the people we serve, allowing us to find local solutions to local problems and increase safety and security in our society.
Where can I get a copy of the Garda Charter?
The Charter is available to download in Irish, English and a number of other languages here. The Garda Charter is available in Braille from Inspector, Policy & Planning Unit. Tel: 01 666 7474 Copies of the Garda Charter will also be available in Garda Stations around the country. To see contact information for your local Garda Station, please click here