Neighbourhood Watch has officially been re-established in the community of Wallaceburg, and they have a new online focus.
A group of concerned citizens banded together earlier this year with the idea of reforming the community group, which disbanded approximately five years ago. On September 27, 2018 the community members decided to officially make the group active once again.
The immediate focus for Neighbourhood Watch in Wallaceburg is to utilize an online program called Neighbourhood Protect, in order to generate anonymous tips and information about crime and suspicious activity occurring in Wallaceburg.
Created by a current Toronto-area police officer, who has experience in the IT field, Neighbourhood Protect is a free web-based administration and communication tool for Neighbourhood Watch groups in Canada.
“Neighbourhood Protect requires very little effort on the part of its members. Just look out for each other`s property and report a possible crime and let your immediate neighbours know about your Neighbourhood Watch. There is no patrolling, big canvassing, time consuming meetings etc. This is to make your life safer and easier, not more complicated,” Neighbourhood Protect officials say.
How can community members join?
– Visit www.neighbourhoodprotect.ca
– Click on Sign-up and fill out the online form
– Select the ‘Neighbourhood’ of Wallaceburg
– Once your account has been created, log in and you can start adding events (a neighbourhood crime, suspicious activity or if you find an event recorded on your security camera system.
– More instructions can be found, here: http://www.neighbourhoodprotect.ca/neighbours/Events.aspx
The Wallaceburg Neighbourhood Watch group is working closely with the Chatham-Kent Police Service.
Gary Conn, the Chief of Police for the Chatham-Kent Police Service, says he is happy to have the group re-established in Wallaceburg.
“Having a Neighbourhood Watch program re-established in Wallaceburg is a huge step towards proactively assisting police to enhance community safety and well-being,” Chief Conn said.
“Few citizens are in a position to protect their homes and property all of the time, however Neighbourhood Watch programs help to provide a sense of security by encouraging neighbours to keep an eye on each other’s property and reporting suspicious activity. This program also helps to coordinate the efforts of the police and citizens in tracking down criminals as well as assisting our Crime Analyst in preparing up to date empirical data, for both our officers and the community.”
Conn said the new online component brings our Neighbourhood Watch program into the 21st century.
“We are embarking into a transformational era where information can and will be processed quicker than ever before,” he said.
“As we all know, information is power, as a result the analysis and dissemination of suspicious activity, suspicious persons, crime prevention, target hardening etc.… will only go to enhance our efforts to increase community safety and well-being.”
Conn added it is still essential for the community to call the police when they spot crime or suspicious activity.
“As I have always stated, police cannot be everywhere all the time however, citizens can act as our eyes and ears becoming an invaluable resource for our police service,” he said.
“As a result, there is no call to small and if citizens see anything suspicious in nature, contact us immediately. This holds true for the new online component as well. We (police) can easily determine as to what information is or not required for immediate or further police action.”
A Steering Committee for Wallaceburg Neighbourhood Watch has been established.
The group is working on some exciting ideas to link up with community groups in Wallaceburg and help spread the idea of Neighbourhood Watch across the community.
You can expect to see the Wallaceburg Neighbourhood Watch group, alongside the Chatham-Kent Police Service, in the upcoming Santa Claus Parade in Wallaceburg on Saturday, November 17, 2018.
There are a couple of ways to contact the Wallaceburg Neighbourhood Watch group as well:
– Add “Wallaceburg Neighbourhood Watch” as a friend on Facebook, and post to their age: https://www.facebook.com/wallaceburg.watch
– Email the group at wallaceburgneighbourhoodwatch@gmail.com
