Neighbourhood Watch Riverview is a community based crime prevention program which aims to improve the quality of life within our neighbourhood by minimising preventable crime and promoting closer community ties. Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is both a philosophy and an approach to working together as a community to reduce crime and enhance community safety. Neighbourhood Watch encourages residents to join together for the purpose of improving the safety of their families and other people, who live, visit and do business in their neighbourhood. It also encourages interaction and a shared sense of responsibility between individuals, neighbours and communities for preventing and reducing crime. Traditionally NHW has focused on improving home security, reducing the fear of crime and reporting suspicious activity to police. As NHW has evolved, we have become involved in broader community safety issues - working together to identify and address local problems that may not involve crime. NHW has been successful in building community cohesion and improving relationships between neighbours which assists in reducing crime and the fear of crime. We operate as a group, overseen by an Area Co-ordinator, the suburb is divided into six zones, each under the support of a 'Zone Co-ordinator'. Zones are divided into blocks of homes which are supported by a 'Block Co-ordinator' who is responsible for delivering the monthly newsletter. Through general meetings and the monthly newsletter residents are educated and encouraged to be alert for any suspicious or criminal activity in the area, and to report information to the police and then to the block or zone co-ordinator for reporting in the newsletter. Full details of the purpose and structure of Neighbourhood Watch, can be found at the Queensland Police Service, Community Policing page. http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/nhwq
The success of our group has been largely due to the large number of residents being actively involved over the years. If any one would like to become more actively involved in Neighbourhood Watch, they would be made very welcome.
