Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch in Trollhättan

Background

Each year too many families suffer burglary into their homes. More than half of all burglaries take place in villas. One way to reduce the risk to become a victim of crime is to start up Neighbourhood Watch in your own residential area.

Public Health Council has given priority to security issues and the municipality Crime Prevention Action Plan focuses on the interaction with voluntary organizations to provide security in the municipality. There are currently about 100 areas with Neighbourhood watch in Trollhättan. The aim is to reduce crime and increase security. This is achieved through the social networks created of the residents in order to cooperate, support and help each other.

Neighbourhood Watch is based on neighbors keeping a natural contact with each other and sharpens vigilance in and around their homes. This reduces risks for crime and increase security and enjoyment of your residential area.

How do I start up?

Get in touch with your neighbors and find out if they’re interested in setting up a neighborhood project. Appropriate size of an area is, for example a neighborhood/residential area or a housing association/point property. Once you have decided to start up take a contact with the coordinator in this folder. We will then agree a suitable date for inspection of the area along with the police.

Neighbourhood Watch is free of charge for those areas that start up.

It is desirable that you appoint a main contact person for your area so this is clear to the inspection of the area.

The main contact person is to:

• Establish a list of participants of the residents in the area.
• Leave the a list of participants to the coordinator at Trollhättan City.
• Inspect the area along with police and decide where signs shall be placed.
• Designate a contact person to areas with about 10-20 households.
• Distribute information materials and stickers to contact persons/ housing.
• Keep in touch with the coordinator and the contact person.
• Inform new residents about Neighbourhood Watch.
• Please inform the coordinator changes made in the list of participants.
• Participate in any eventually follow-up meetings and the annual security evenings.

Requirements for participation:

• Pre inventory and tag theft-prone property.
• Notify neighbors, the main contact and/or the contact person if you are being away for more than a week.
• Keep valuable documents and valuables in a safe manner.
• Be generally vigilant.
• Contact the police, the main contact and/or contact person if you see something that is ”wrong”.

What can I do?

• Using approved locks. Many burglaries take place through the patio or basement door.
• Join motion sensors for exterior lights.
• Get the timer lights on and off indoor lighting.
• Install window locks, even to the basement window.
• Install alarms.
• Trim hedges and obscuring vegetation to make it better transparency i in the garden.

What can I ask a neighbor to do when I’m out of town?

• Take the post inside.
• Throwing garbage in the dustbin.
• Mow the lawn in summer or shoveling the snow in winter.
• Park their car in my driveway or parking lot.
• Note the registration numbers of suspicious cars driving around in the neighbourhood.
• Take a walk around the house and check that everything is OK.
• Hanging laundry outside on a drying line.

Please contakt me for further information:
Gigi Cederholm
coordinator Trollhättans Stad
phone: 0520-49 79 77
e-mail: gigi.cederholm@trollhattan.se