United People Against Crime
las piņas chapter
UPAC Primer What's New? Caritas Manila FAQs Guest Book Links
Crime Prevention 101
All you need to know to prevent crime from happening.
taken from a manual of UPAC National
Getting Started - Meetings, Block Captains, and Maps
Form a small planning committee to discuss needs, the level of interest, possible challenges, and the Watch Concept
Contact the local police or UPAC to discuss Neighborhood Watch and local crime problems. Invite a law enforcement officer to attend your meeting.
Publicize your meeting at least one week in advance with door-to-door fliers and follow up with phone calls the day before.
Hold an initial meeting to gauge neighbors' interest; establish purpose of program; and begin to identify issues that need to be addressed. Stress that a Watch group is an association of neighbors who look out for each other's families and property, alert the police to any suspicious activities or crime in progress, and work together to make their community a safer and better place to live.
When the Neighborhood Decides to Adopt the Watch Idea
Elect a chairperson.
Ask for block captain volunteers who are responsible for relaying information to members on their block, keeping up-to-date information on residents, and making special efforts to involve the elderly, working parents, and young people. Block captains also can serve as liaisons between the neighborhood and the police and communicate information about meetings and crime incidents to all residents.
Establish a regular means of communicating with Watch members - e.g., newsletter, telephone or text (SMS) brigade, e-mail, fax, etc.
Prepare a neighborhood map showing names, addresses, and phone numbers of participating households and distribute to members. Block captains keep this map up to date, contacting newcomers to the neighborhood and rechecking occasionally with ongoing participants.
With guidance from a law enforcement agency or NGO, the Watch trains its members in home security techniques, observation skills, and crime reporting. Residents also learn about types of crime that affect the area.
Organizers and block captains must emphasize that Watch groups are not vigilantes and do not assume the role of the police. They only ask neighbors to be alert, observant, and caring - and to report suspicious activity or crimes immediately to the police or the NGO.
The Watch Concept is adaptable. There are Park Watches, Apartment Watches, Window Watches, Boat Watches, School Watches, Realtor Watches, Utility Watches, and Business Watches. A Watch can be organized around any geographic unit.
Hold regular meetings to help residents get to know each other and to collectively decide upon program strategies and activities.
Consider linking with an existing organization, such as a citizens' association, community development office, tenants' association or housing authority
Canvas door-to-door to recruit members
Involve everyone - young and old, single and married, renter and homeowner.
Gain support from the police. This is critical to a Watch group's credibility. These agencies are the major sources of information on local crime patterns, home security, other crime prevention education, and crime reporting.
Gather the facts about crime in your neighborhood. Check police reports, do victimization surveys, and learn residents' perception about crime. Often residents' opinions are not supported by facts, and accurate information can reduce fear of crime.
Physical conditions like abandoned cars or overgrown vacant lots contribute to crime. sponsor cleanups, encourage residents to beautify the area, and ask them to turn on outdoor lights at night.
It is essential to celebrate the success of the effort and recognize volunteers' contributions through such events as awards, annual dinners, and parties. to help meet community needs, Neighborhood Watches can sponsor meetings that address broader issues such as drug abuse, gangs, self-protection tactics, isolation of the elderly, crime in the schools, and rape prevention.
Don't forget events like Night Out or potluck dinner that gives neighbors a chance to get together. such items as pins, t-shirts, hats, or coffee mugs with the group's name also enhance identity and pride.
Now, let's take a breather, shall we?
Click on thumbnail to see the captivating view.
Sustaining the Neighborhood Watch
When crime drops or the neighborhood problem is alleviated, some Watch programs slowly lose momentum. to keep a Neighborhood Watch program vital, blend crime prevention into other community concerns.
Have your Watch group identify the neighborhood's strengths and problems and then brainstorm on what members can do to improve the quality of community life. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Encourage schools to teach crime and drug prevention in the classroom.
Cooperate with parent associations, recreation departments, and schools to organize after-school programs for children and teens.
Start a block parent program to help children cope with emergencies while walking to and from school or playing in the area. These programs can be a reliable source of help for children in emergency or frightening situations. Volunteers must meet specific standards, including law enforcement records check. Programs are established locally as a partnership among law enforcement, school, and community organizations.
Spearhead a Gang or Violence Prevention Task Force to assess those problems and develop prevention strategies or solutions.
Translate crime and drug prevention materials into Tagalog, Ilocano or other languages needed by non-English speakers in your community.
Get local Boys and Girls Club or other youth organization to help the elderly with marking valuables, enhancing home security, or going to the store. In turn, senior citizens can help youth with such needs as tutoring or recreational programs, oral history projects, or cooking class.
Turn a vacant lot into a park, playground field, or community garden.
Work with small businesses to repair rundown storefronts, clean up littered streets, and create jobs for young people.
Link up with victim services to train your members in assisting victims of crime.
Recruit utility workers, cab drivers, and other people with two-way radios or cellular phones to extend your Neighborhood Watch network.
Ask people who seldom leave their houses to be "Window Watchers," looking out for children and any unusual activities in the neighborhood.
Encourage businesses to hold lunch-time crime and and drug prevention seminars and special events for employees and their families.
Sponsor a crime and drug prevention fair at a shopping mall or community center.
Get banks and other businesses to include crime prevention tips in their statements and bills.
Work with local media -- newspapers, radio, TV stations -- to publicize events and thank supporters.
Sponsor a seminar for the elderly and others on how to avoid becoming victims of con games and fraud.
Get a local theater group to produce a play teaching children how to protect themselves from violence, drug abuse, or other crime.
Work with the telephone company or local stores to teach children how to use emergency numbers.
Establish a "buddy" system for the elderly and people with disabilities, in which someone checks with them daily by phone and summons help if needed.
Link Neighborhood Watch to efforts promoted by other groups: drug prevention, child protection, anti-vandalism projects, arson prevention, neighborhood cleanup, recycling. Share resources and promote each other's activities. Invite guest speakers to Neighborhood Watch meetings.
Publicize your program and its successes in local media ranging from civic association newsletters to local radio shows to television.
Start a community crime prevention newsletter. Block captains or volunteers (including kids and teenagers) can distribute the newsletter, which also helps them keep in touch with residents.
Work with businesses to develop a Business Watch program. Ask them to help pay for fliers and a newsletter, provide meeting places, and distribute crime prevention information.
Spell out roles and responsibilities of the association and its members. Adopt bylaws and elect officers.
Decentralize planning and work. delegate tasks and establish standing committees.
Keep in touch with members. Use personal contacts, in and outside of meetings. Distribute a newsletter to communicate regularly with members.
Plan for and train new leaders. Don't burn out existing ones.
Mobilize collective resources and use them. Know members' skills, personal and business contacts. Be realistic about how many people you need to do a job.
Use outside resources, such as government agencies and community-based organizations.
Strike a balance between business and pleasure. Conduct business meetings on time and efficiently, but have a time for socializing before or after the meeting.
Involve all elements in the community - single parents, renters as well as homeowners, teenagers, senior citizens, business owners and managers.