Neighborhood Watch Groups on the Rise

Keeping your neighbors and yourself safe from crime is crucial. According to the City of Grand Terrace website, “40 million crimes are committed every year and the number is still growing.” With that number in mind, neighbors must take extra precaution by keeping their eyes and ears open for each other. “There can’t be a law enforcement officer on every corner, so citizen involvement is essential to combat this social crisis,” stated on the webpage. Residents and their neighbors are the people who know what’s going on their neighborhoods, and police officers can’t always be present to look after residential areas. Union City Police states that “nearly half of these burglaries are committed without force – that is, through unlocked doors and windows.” Therefore, residents need to take the first step in keeping their homes safe by locking their own doors and windows. If a resident detects something suspicious happening in their area, he or she is advised to call the police or sheriff immediately; residents must NOT stop a criminal themselves. Residents are also encouraged to start a Neighborhood Watch Group (NWG), which decreases the likelihood of crime happening in the first place. The Grand Terrace website explains that an NWG includes: “Neighbors getting to know each other and working together in a program of mutual assistance; citizens being trained to recognize and report suspicious activities in their neighborhoods; and implementation of crime prevention to techniques such as home security, Operation Identification, etc.” Anyone can get involved by starting their own NWG. Residents can contact the Grand Terrace Police at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, and explain that they are interested in joining or starting a NWG. They can also “write for the Attorney General’s ‘Don’t Let ‘Em Knock Your Block Off!’ Block Captain’s Guide- a step-by-step instruction manual explaining how to organize a Neighborhood Watch Group,” provided by the website. The Union City Police website shows that gathering neighbors together to start a Watch Group has helped previous communities in the past: “In three communities of Long Beach, Calif., active Neighborhood Watch programs resulted in a 45 percent reduction in residential burglaries.”