Neighbourhood Watch e-Clusters
Until now we have only been able to accept members into Neighbourhood Watch if they
happened to be resident in an existing street scheme or if they were prepared to
start a new scheme in their road or part of their road. Most schemes had at least
five and some up to fifty members. Starting a new scheme meant they had to contact
and deliver leaflets to all these new members and from then on also circulate to
them police warnings, advice and newsletters etc.. We still prefer schemes to be
like this but.....
.....over the last few years we have had several enquiries from people unable to
accept that commitment and unable to find a neighbour willing to take on the job
and set up a scheme for their road.
With the rapid growth in ‘e-mail’ and ‘online’ Internet usage, Selsey Neighbourhood
Watch are now testing a ‘NW e-Cluster’ service to any ‘e-enquirer’ who can find
at least one neighbour to form a cluster. Ideally the cluster would consist of all
the initiator’s boundary neighbours and perhaps the house directly opposite or behind
the initiator giving a minimum cluster size of two and a maximum of perhaps five
(negotiable). Beyond this number we would probably treat this as a regular NW scheme.
To comply with the ‘Neighbourhood’ concept we are insisting on at least one neighbour
who will also keep an eye on the Cluster Co-ordinator’s property in return for the
service. (This might also be an Insurance discount requirement). Other properties
might be rentals or workshops etc.
The Cluster Co-ordinator must also be a fairly regular e-mail user (at least four
or five times a week) in order to keep up to date with possible crime information
which might in future come from multiple sources. (Crime-Ring, Local NSOs, Community
Wardens and NW etc.).
All contact with NW and the Police and other agencies(after the initial set-up) would
be via e-mail and the Cluster Co-ordinator must agree to support his cluster members
by passing on information just as the normal scheme Co-ordinators do now. They
will normally do this by visit, note, telephone, or fax or perhaps by e-mail. They
would also distribute newsletters and briefing sheets by either printing them locally
and delivering or, if applicable, advising their members where copy could be viewed
and read online. Generally all these publications are posted on the local NW website
within a day or two of publication.
At start-up the Cluster Co-ordinator will be provided with sufficient NW starter
packs for themselves and their nominated neighbour(s). No street signs will be
erected, but plastic gatepost signs will be made available for each house in the
cluster. To avoid confusion ‘NW e-Clusters’ will be maintained separately from
regular Selsey Areas and be co-ordinated by a designated ‘NW e-Clusters’ Co-ordinator
within the Selsey organisation.
Please e-mail the Selsey NW e-Cluster Co-ordinator at nwclusters@cdnwa.org.uk for
any further information or to start a cluster.
