Colchester District Neighbourhood Watch

I am the Chairperson, and my name is Grahame Stehle. I work with three others to administer Colchester District Neighbourhood Watch.

Our goal is to introduce to members, and others in the community, behaviours that will frustrate and deter those who commit opportunity crime. We also signpost other organisations that support victims of crime and provide additional and focussed advice.

The purpose of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme is to encourage and help members take every precaution to ensure personal safety and to keep their home and possessions secure. Also, to watch out for neighbours and other members of the community and to help the police know about suspicious activity and actual crimes that are taking place. 

We help people set up Neighbourhood Watch Schemes (groups of members) in their locality and we assist in encouraging people to join. Looking after a scheme is as simple and as non-taxing as we can make it. Fifteen to twenty minutes a week and only more if the coordinator chooses to do so. Those fifteen minutes can prevent someone losing their precious bicycle, a car, or other valuable and important artifacts.

Coordinators and members receive an email every week with details of where and what crime is taking place in the whole of Colchester. We supply Street Signs and Window Stickers and other crime prevention material. We operate a ‘buddy’ system for members without email.

 We can attend community events and gatherings and are always pleased to speak about Neighbourhood Watch at these events. Popular topics are Passwords and PINs and Frauds and Scams.

We invite enquiries about membership of Neighbourhood Watch in Colchester and how to get new schemes off the ground. 

 Our new Web Site is https://www.colchesternhw.org.uk .

and we use Twitter: https:/twitter.com/colchesternhw .