Community Crime Prevention Programmes

Community Crime Prevention Programmes give people an opportunity to work with Gardaí (the Irish police) to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in their local area.

The 3 main Community Crime Prevention Programmes in Ireland:

1. Neighbourhood Watch – a programme for urban areas
2. Community Alert – a programme for rural areas
3. Text Alert – an email and SMS warning system that allows Gardaí to communicate quickly with large numbers of local participants

You can read more about community policing and crime prevention on the Garda Síochána website.

Neighbourhood Watch is a crime prevention programme aimed at getting local communities in urban areas to look out for neighbours and report suspicious activities to the Gardaí.

The programme is a partnership between the Gardaí and representatives of the community to prevent crime and create a safer social environment.

How to start a Neighbourhood Watch scheme

If you want to establish a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area, contact your local Garda Station. The scheme may be set up in response to community demand or because of Garda contact.

A Garda will tell you what you need to do and will help to organise your first meeting. Before you set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, talk to local residents to gain their support. It is important that everyone taking part understands what the Neighbourhood Watch is about.

Every community or neighbourhood can set up a scheme. A Neighbourhood Watch scheme can cover:

• A single street
• An apartment complex or
• A part or the whole of a housing estate

You can find out more about how to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme on the Garda Síochána website.

How does Neighbourhood Watch work?

A Neighbourhood Watch scheme can be different in each area. Every group can set its own procedures and appoint or elect its own officers. However, most schemes include:

• An Area Coordinator
• A Street Coordinator
• The Neighbourhood Watch members
• A local Garda
• Young People

In most cases, co-ordinators for the various streets and areas are appointed at a public meeting after approval is given to establish the scheme. The local Chief Superintendent makes the final decision about setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

Co-ordinators

The co-ordinators are the main contact for members of the scheme. They:

• Receive and distribute information and recruit new members.
• Act as the link between the Liaison Garda and scheme members
• Support victims of crime
• Advise on marking and recording your property and storing the details
• Organise the Neighbourhood Watch scheme including meetings
• Identify crime problems and work with local Gardaí to find solutions
• Represent the Neighbourhood Watch scheme at Garda District Neighbourhood Watch Committee meetings and Local Policing Forum meetings.

Getting young people involved

If you are running a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, it is important you involve young people.

You can read more about youth outreach and Neighbourhood Watch on the Garda Síochána website and in the Neighbourhood Watch Handbook (pdf).

If you are living in a rural area, the Community Alert programme encourages community safety. It focuses on older and more vulnerable people.

The Community Alert programme aims to improve the quality of life in rural communities by:

• Reducing opportunities for crimes to take place
• Encouraging neighbourliness and self-reliance
• Promoting accident prevention and personal safety

The programme is managed by Muintir na Tíre and the Garda Síochána. It is funded by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health.

Community alert groups

The Community Alert programme works through a network of community alert groups, each for a particular area. A group may be set up because a community requested it or because of contact from the Gardaí.

Each group has an elected Community Alert Committee that manages the group and a Community Alert Area Coordinator who keeps contact with a Garda Liaison Officer. Resource materials are provided by the Garda Síochána.

You can find more on the Community Alert programme and on setting up a community alert group on the Muintir na Tíre website and in the Community Alert handbook (pdf).

Text Alert allows you and your community to set up a group to receive alerts from the Gardaí about suspicious or criminal activity in your area.

Text Alert is a one-way communication system from the Gardaí to the community. It works in the following way:

• A member of the public reports an incident to the local 24-hour Garda District telephone number
• The reporting Garda checks the details of the reported incident and decides if the Text Alert system should be used
• The reporting Garda sends a text or e-mail to each registered Community Contact in their Garda District
• Each Community Contact forwards the text to their Community Group to tell the public about the incident and to report any developments
• If the information is sent by e-mail, the Community Contact may forward the e-mail or change the content to SMS Text and send to their Community Group

You can get more information on Text Alert from the Garda Síochána (pdf) and on the Muintir na Tíre website.

For more information on Neighbourhood Watch, contact your local Garda station and ask to speak with your Divisional Officer about launching a scheme in your area. Contact your local Garda station.

If you live in a Community Alert area, get the contact details for your local Community Alert Group at your local Garda station.

If you are interested in setting up a Community Alert Group in your area, contact your local Gardaí or a Muintir na Tíre Community Alert Development Officer.

More information on the Text Alert initiative is available from the Garda Síochána (pdf) and on the Muintir na Tíre website.