Whether or not you participated in your neighborhood watch program in the past, it’s hard to deny the impact it has on home security in the community. You may point to a burglary or two committed in spite of the neighborhood watch, but that may have been a result of inadequate staffing. If you have been a part of this effort, you will already know that the entire program depends on a wide level of cooperation. If there are no police officers involved or if the citizen patrol grows lax, the program will fail. In times of budget shrinkage, the effort will be even harder. Here are five tips for keeping the neighborhood watch going to keep home security in your community assured.
1. Ask for donations from local businesses. When money is tight, it might seem like a bad idea to ask business owners for help, but it makes more sense than you think. When the community is safe, their businesses will do better. Keeping the money in one hand may be taking it out of the other for these owners. At the very least, they could volunteer the time of staffers or materials if money doesn’t seem like a possibility. Direct your attention to locally-owned shops and services first.
2. Emphasize the benefits of volunteering. For the citizens who are reluctant to share their time, offer some clear examples of ways their lives will improve through helping out the community watch program. If first-aid training is part of the process, that is something everyone should like to know. Also, volunteers could learn about investigative procedures, how to use a walkie-talkie and ways to enhance their own home security plans.
3. Stress the relevance. Keeping the neighborhood watch afloat could be tough when members find themselves patrolling safe streets or feeling helpless when confronted with a real problem. Bring out the statistics in an argument. Residents in parts of town with crime present shouldn’t need much motivation. Show how a strong neighborhood watch could significantly reduce the burglaries in their area, using statistics that are readily available.
4. Make it personal. Use monthly meetings of the neighborhood watch as a forum for residents to workshop their own home security plans. Encourage a discussion of the different home alarms being used by members and how they use simple things like lighting and pets to keep burglars at bay. Showing people a specific need addressed will often do the job.
5. Show off the results. Once in a while, it doesn’t hurt to toot the horn of the watch program. If there is a place that has been turned around -- such as a playground -- organize a basketball or softball game between different neighborhoods, or between police officers and citizen members. Showing that the neighborhood is more enjoyable will likely win over reluctant neighbors.
Find out what the combination of a neighborhood watch and
adt security can do for your family’s safety. The feeling of safety you get from an
ADT home alarm can’t be matched.
