Neighbourhood Watch was setup in 1964 after 28-year-old Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in New York outside her apartment. Two weeks after the murder it was rumoured that 38 witnesses saw or heard the attack, but none of them called the police or came to her aid.
This motivated a community response and the very first Neighbourhood Watch scheme was set up in New York and, in 1982, the first UK scheme was set up in Mollington, Cheshire. From there NHW grew from strength to strength. Representatives formed local and wider structured groups. In 2007, with the support of the police and the Home Office, the umbrella organisation for the movement now known as Neighbourhood Watch Network, was established. The focus was on building local Neighbourhood Watch community groups which liaised with the Police and focused on reducing burglary and other home and personal crimes.
With the transformation on how people use the internet, communities are no longer restricted to geographical locations, and crime has taken on new forms. Orchard Hills Neighbourhood Watch have tried to evolve in line with National Neighbourhood Watch whilst retaining the values that the organisation was founded on in the first place, a connected and resilient community. We use social media to connect with more residents and continue to promote the importance of friendly relationships with neighbours friendly and smiling and saying hello to strangers. We provide more advice then ever on ‘modern crime’ whilst continuing to promote the effective measures that have existed for along time to tackle ‘traditional crime’.
We will continue to develop modern and innovative ways to keep our area safe and welcoming whilst maintaining our regular meetings along with plans to setup Streetwatch, Green Dog Walkers groups and the Great British Spring Clean.
‘Crime cannot flourish in communities that care’
