How we began

Sunday,  27^th October 1982 was the official launch of the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) ‘pilot’ program in Bunbury.  With community enthusiasm and Local Government support the program spread throughout the State.

The original traditional structure of Neighbourhood Watch involved a team of community volunteers and police representatives working together to build a Neighbourhood Watch network in their suburb.  The focus of the network was to work together to prevent crime and protect the safety, security and quality of life for everyone in the community.

WA Police Force personnel and NHW volunteers delivered a series of structured activities and programs to reduce home burglaries such as shopping centre information stalls, door knocks, newsletter development and distribution, and regular meetings.

Today we talk of Neighbourhood Watch in terms of being a philosophy that is simply neighbours looking out for each other.

Neighbourhood Watch today

With the introduction of the internet and how people share and source information, communities are no longer structured to geographical locations and crime has taken on new forms.  To ensure we remain relevant our focus has shifted from a “membership” model to a “philosophy”.  The entire community should be involved in Neighbourhood Watch.  It merely involves supporting the philosophy of being a good neighbour by looking out for each other.

Today NHW is adaptable to fit the community it serves.  There is no “one size fits all”.  Neighbourhood Watch can be a couple of houses, or it can be large covering an estate.  Neighbours can communicate through email, social media or may meet once a week for a coffee or a chat in someone’s driveway.

Neighbourhood Watch is all about creating a safe and secure community – getting to know your neighbours, knowing what number to call for Police assistance and noticing any unusual or strange behaviours in and around your area, and report information to Police.

Neighbourhood Watch is designed to help protect your property and the quality of life by encouraging communication and cooperation between neighbours. It is a means of reporting suspicious activity or something unusual that is happening in your suburb to police.

We believe in the power of neighbours working together to build safer, vibrant and inclusive communities, to prevent crime and make a positive, sustainable difference in communities.