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Yesterday, I delivered over 100 letters to every house on my road. These letters were delivered to me by the local police community support officer because some residents have expressed an interest in starting a neighbourhood watch scheme. I said I didn't mind distributing the letters, which explain a bit about the scheme and ask if people would be interested in it or not. (My next door neighbour's car was broken into recently while it was parked outside her house).

Anyway, I started to get a trickle of responses through my door today. And I appear to have offended someone on my road, who actually took the time to hand write this letter to me:

Whilst all the benefits listed in your letter about neighbourhood watch is true, what will stop people from meddling into their neighbour's affairs simply because they don't like them?

What will stop people reporting an innocent neighbour of a fabricated crime? Simply because they don't like this neighbour?

For the above reasons I disagree with the concept of neighbourhood watch for it represents a scheme for how the few can control many by using the many to control themselves.

Neighbourhood watches go beyond community spirit, burglary and crime!

Why don't you check out www.policeplanningstate.com [This website doesn't exist - I assume he means www.policestateplanning.com ].

Stop acting against your own self interest!

Neighbourhood watch is an extension of how the NWD plan to control citizens (us) by using the many to control themselves. It goes beyond just burglary and crime.

You encourage neighbours to tell on neighbours they don't like who are not necessarily criminals.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

Eh? Is this guy for real? And I thought I was doing everyone a favour by distributing these letters to gauge interest. Is this chap just paranoid or does he have a point, somewhere in amongst the ranting? One of the questions in the letters I distributed was "do you support a neighbourhood watch?"

I'll take that as a "no", then.

Is anyone here a member of a NWS? Do you think it actually makes a difference or is it a waste of time?

It sounds like someone has a secret they wish to cover up

If this person is the only one who doesnt want to join in, its a reasonably safe bet that they will also be the person that blaims the police, and the neighbor hood watch for not doing their jobs, when he gets broken in to.

There's no NWS where I live, but in Ruralarea15 (the fake name for where I used to live), there were signs for one, there apparently was one, and all it became was an excuse for gossips to gather and compare notes on people they turn their nose up at.

Also, I just can't help but think of the NWO (Not the Wrestling group) from the excellent film Hot Fuzz...

What a great letter.... I think your neighbour has a fair few issues they perhaps need to resolve (either that or a body under the patio is my guess).

Personally I don't see how a NW can do much harm.. surely anything that makes a scummy thief think twice or go somewhere else is a good thing. You'll get the odd gossip and nosey parker wherever and whatever you do, and life's far too short to worry about the curtain twitchers of this world.

I think your letter writing chum has been watching too many episodes of 'Ever Decreasing Circles'....

Whilst all the benefits listed in your letter about neighbourhood watch is true, what will stop people from meddling into their neighbour's affairs simply because they don't like them?

What will stop people reporting an innocent neighbour of a fabricated crime? Simply because they don't like this neighbour?

What will stop them is evidence, and falsely reporting a crime is a serious crime in itself. It's called wasting police time.

This guy's a nut. Ignore him.

We used to be part of a neighbourhood watch at our last house. I'm not sure how much they really help to reduce crime but the insurance companies seem to like them.

I didn't really notice anyone poking their noses into anyone elses business but it was a good excuse to go around the girl at the end of the road's house once a month for a drink and gossip about all the suspicious goings on.

It was also a great chance to get to chat with people who you usually didn't see.

Ignore that eejit Sunny, there's always someone who objects! Where I live there's a service road at the rear of the houses to allow access to gardens and garages, there have been many break-ins and robberies of both garages and houses via this road. Way back in the 1970’s a couple of neighbors suggested having gates fitted to the entrance to the service road, each house contributing towards the cost and the idea was supported by the local Police. Out of 80 houses, only 20 bothered to reply, two of them with a threat of legal action if their right to free and unimpeded access were slowed down by having to get out of their cars to open and close a gate. One said they’d open the gate but not shut it. This just showed the selfish and apathetic attitude of some of our neighbours. Fast forward to the late 1990s and the idea was floated again, this time the suggestion was made based on the very strong advice to the local NWS from the community crime prevention officer who said that there had been over 20 break-ins with access via the road in the previous 5 years, some involving physical injuries to householders during the course of the robbery. Amazingly again there were objections on selfish grounds and again threats of legal action. This time the organisers decided to risk it, had the gates installed and received just enough contributions to cover the cost which included giving everyone a key, regardless of whether they'd contributed or not. There were no legal threats and, despite the occasional careless driver leaving the gates unlocked, only 2 robberies in the last 5 years.

Yes, such schemes can be abused but if so it’s easy enough to resolve so twerps like the guy who wrote to you probably do have something to hide or are perhaps just very insecure people. It’s their choice, they don’t have to participate.

Thanks for the replies so far; I think several of you have made some good points. The main reason I agreed to this NWS in the first place is, as Lommy pointed out, the fact that insurance companies do tend to give discounts if you are a member of one. Plus the fact that it surely can't be a bad thing. I'd rather live on a road of curtain twitchers than on a road where no one gives a damn and turns a blind eye. We are in the same boat, after all.

And yes, the more I read this letter, the more I think this guy is a raving lunatic. On the plus side, he does have quite nice handwriting. I'm going to save this letter and show it to the rather attractive police community support officer, next time she comes a knockin'. Should be good for a laugh.

Replicant wrote:I'd rather live on a road of curtain twitchers than on a road where no one gives a damn and turns a blind eye. We are in the same boat, after all.

That's the thing though isnt it? When a car alarm goes off, who goes to the window to see what's happening? You wait a while first thinking ' I wish they'd turn that bloody thing off, i cant hear the tv ', and only 2 minutes later, once the thief has made off with the stereo, do we then see what's occuring, and then moan some more.

There's a fine line between nosey and helpful. Depends on your personality.

Grimshaw, fair enough (FairieSnuff?), but I don't know anyone who would actually go and investigate a car alarm because they go off for absolutely no reason. Like you said, a car alarm goes off and most people's first thought is, "Bloody thing! I can't hear the TV now!" In my opinion, car alarms are a waste of time and are ignored by the majority of people for a good reason. They are unreliable and history proves they are likely to go off in a strong gust of wind.

The main benefit to a NWS is people noticing unusual activity and either recording or reporting it as appropriate and the data being used to prevent future problems. When alarms go off, the crime's already done so if anything you'd only see the miscreants running/driving away.

It starts with a NWS and ends with a one world government! Be afraid!

Don't worry Sunny, every road has a nutter or two. Mine has several, most of whom live with me.

Seeing it abbreviated just makes me think of NWA... hmmm

I'm ambivalent. I certainly don't share the views of that nutjob who wrote the letter who needs to be ignored, and I think a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is a nice enough idea - I think it's more for the peace of mind of the residents though, to think that someone is looking out for them. And as Mandrake said, to gather information about local crime so you can look at ways of preventing it. Probably brings the local community together too.

I wouldn't have a problem with curtain twitchers if it means someone might ring the police when they see some t*sser kicking my back door in... however, I think the only downside is the "all step forward, one left behind" effect. If someone for whatever reason can't make the meetings and be as supportive to the scheme as others, it does rather suggest that they're going to be talked about behind their back, with cliques forming etc.

But hey, that probably happens anyway.

A few months after moving into this house I found myself locked out one Saturday evening. Being the resourceful type I spent about 30 minutes climbing into a window that was coincidently left open, which was a very painful and contortionally challenging experience (I think Paul Nardini has a photo which he managed to take in the brief few seconds when he wasn't doubled over with laughter).

I finally got in, opened the back door to let the others in, and about five minutes later the police arrived to check on us, since one of the new neighbours had noticed our B&E and called it in. It felt good.

Neighbourhood Watch is generally a good thing, but your milage may vary.

Take care, Ian

I think the letter really came from David Ike via your local residential nutter

NWS is not an oppressive tool to lead the world into a NWO but merley a good natured COMMUNITY scheme to help combat crime in the areas that you live,whats wrong with that?
It gives the local community physce a boost and support in general and hopefully a little bit of piece of mind if nothing else, knowing that people in YOUR area care and are willing to be involved in making sure your home and area are as safe as can be - it wont stop crime 100% but it will reduce it and make criminals think twice when they choose which areas to commit their crimes in.

Humans can send probes into outerspace and visit the moon several times over yet we find it hard to cross the road and say hello to our neighbours and check to see if old fred the war vetran up the road is ok and well today - How did we as the human race ever come to this sad conclusion.

A few years ago i was minding a friends dog in my house whilst they was away on holiday,i went out to the shops and returned to find my yale lock frozen ( It wouldnt turn with the key in it ) I thought someone had put the snip on the lock to stop me opening it (It turned out to be the dog jumping up on the front door and accidently dropping the snip with its paws whilst scratching the hell out of the back of the door!!)

Anyways i had no other option of getting into my house other than kick my front door in,across the road is a bus stop and on that saturday afternoon 3 pm ish it was full of people waiting for the bus - Not one person at the bus stop watching me kick in a front door in broad daylight said a word,they just stood and watched from the bus stop. I kind of expected the police to turn up thinking that someone might have called the police instead - Nothing!! Just goes to show you even with people around witnessing what could have been a crime people are hesitant to get involved or inform the police at the very least.

I say go for it and dont let others dam you because you wish to help the commuinty and area you live in,if more people took this approach the world may just be a little bit easier to live in