October is crime prevention month and the National Crime Prevention Council is starting an initiative for communities across America to “Celebrate Safe Communities.” Homeowners in your town and throughout your state are involved in neighborhood watch programs to keep their communities safe. If your neighborhood has not taken this important crime prevention step there is no better time than the present to get started. Developing a Neighborhood Watch program is a simple task and requires very little work on your part. The NCPC has provided a wealth of information available to you by simply registering a neighborhood watch.
Naturally the first line of defense that any homeowner should have is a personal home security system. A security system can provide you with the peace of mind that your family is safe from potential intruders and the hidden intruders such as fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide. If you are currently not protected by a home security system, investigate all your options. There are many do-it-yourself systems on the market today but they are lacking a vital component to the safety of your family. These systems lack monitoring, an essential feature available from some of the top names in security such as ADT and Brinks. Monitoring ensures a quick turn around time from local emergency response units in the event of an emergency. This can mean the difference between life and death or a savings of thousands of dollars from burglary.
Once you have selected and installed a home security system you can easily turn your attention to neighborhood security. A good watch system can bring your community together and reduce the potential for crime. The first step in organizing your local security initiative is to discuss the idea with your neighbors.
After you have recruited some of your neighbors it is time to schedule the first meeting. At that time you will contact the local law enforcement agency to schedule for an officer to attend the meeting to educate your community on neighborhood watch programs. Law enforcement groups have dedicated officers that are setup for this purpose to help provide you with the resources necessary to make your neighborhood watch successful. Once your meeting as been scheduled, alert your neighbors to the date, time and location of the meeting.
During your neighborhood watch meeting discuss all the concerns of your neighbors so that everyone can understand each other’s need for security. Take this time to develop an action plan such as starting a telephone system. Often in community watch programs homes are split up into groups which alert each other via telephone if a threat is detected. A person is appointed as the main contact for each group of homes. The person selected will be the advocate for new issues brought before the group as well as a key in keeping neighbors updated.
Once your neighborhood watch is organized be sure to hold meetings on a regular basis. Register your watch with the NCPC at usaonwatch.org. to get access to resources and material that may be of benefit to your community. Keep up to date on all the latest technological advances to home security so that you can maximize your neighborhood and home security.