SINGING THE PRAISES OF BILLERICAY NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH GROUP

 
Can't always get to BILLERICAY NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH meetings, but managed this evening.  It was great to meet up with some familiar faces - local residents who really care about the safety of  their own town.  Of course, this organisation which was set up so long ago, once relied on their local Police Station as a base from which to operate. This is no longer possible.  In the near future Billericay Library will be the information venue to find out more about this great friendly organisation which has been operating in the town for more than 26 years.
 

The very first Neighbourhood Watch was set up in Cheshire in 1982  following the success of a similar scheme in Chicago, USA. Many more groups followed throughout the UK, and it is now claimed that 3.8 million households are covered by a similar scheme.  The neighbourhood watch schemes covers many aspects of community safety including, but not necessarily, limited to crime.

Essex Watch encourages, supports and facilitates the formation and development of other ‘Watch schemes,’ which include:  Allotments, Businesses / Industrial Watch, Caravans, Country Farms, Forest / Park Watch, Golf Courses, Horse Watch, Marine Watch (Inland Waterways), Pubs,  Schools, Shops and other community places.  There are several additional initiatives which are currently being looked at, including Plant Watch (construction plant) and Trailer Watch. All of these schemes share two common aims and objectives which are: To ‘Keep Crime Down,’ and to ‘Help Communities to Help Themselves

Billericay's NHW was hugely popular and enjoyed a large membership.  Today, it lacks numbers. Fred Good, Liaison Officer and his team would like more residents to join them in fighting crime.  Pictures, more information and contact details to follow.