BROMLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION

c/o Community Safety, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley, BR1 3UH

Dear NW Coordinator,

Please allow me to introduce myself  - My name is Clifford Longley, and rather to my surprise, I was elected chair of Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association after the last AGM, after Terry Belcher stood down from the Chair, and it has taken me a little time to learn the ropes.  So I must apologise for not contacting you sooner, to share some of our ideas about the development of Neighbourhood Watch in Bromley and to assure you that its future is looking good.  Terry and John Bruce, who stood down as Secretary at the AGM, have done a superb job for Neighbourhood Watch over the last few years, and we are all in their debt.

We can’t stand still, and the Neighbourhood Watch idea has to be adapted as circumstances change.  For instance, the Police have become convinced that successful policing requires the cooperation of the public, which is best obtained by personal contact at street level;  and that discussion and collaboration with the local community is a good way of deciding policing priorities.  Many Safer Neighbourhood Teams (as you know, consisting usually of a Sergeant and half-a-dozen Constables or PCSOs per ward or pair or wards) have found that Neighbourhood Watch offers a unique opportunity for them to engage with their community.  And Safer Neighbourhood Panels now provide the place to discuss policing requirements and similar local issues.

As a result though, the lines can sometimes get a bit blurred, which confuses the public.  We are working on proposals which will clarify the Neighbourhood Watch-Police relationship and make it work better for everyone.  In particular, we hope every Safer Neighbourhood Team and Panel in Bromley will see the sense of adding a Neighbourhood Watch dimension to the way they work, if they have not already done so.  We intend to circulate advice on what we think is best practice in these matters.

Neighbourhood Watch should not be too narrow in how it describes its work, and the safety of the local community is not just about watching out for burglars next door.  It can include many small acts of kindness and assistance to people in our local neighbourhood, on the principle that we should all be looking out for the other while respecting personal boundaries and the need for privacy.  This is surely what neighbourliness means.  This way we can all help each other make Bromley a better, safer and more human place to live.

For a variety of reasons, resignations have diminished our numbers.  So I am hoping, once we have effective links with Safer Neighbourhood Panels, there will be new interest in the Executive’s work and an increase in the number of people prepared to offer themselves for election, including as Officers.  At the very least, I should think, each Safer Neighbourhood Panel should include one Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator and possibly more, able to bring their perspective to bear on whatever matters the Panel discusses.  As Panels are linked together into three sectors or zones across the borough, which is the intention, it would seem logical to have each zone or sector represented on the BNWA Executive.  May I leave that idea with you?

Why do we need a Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association at all, now the Police have dedicated teams working at neighbourhood level?
To answer the question we have drafted a Mission Statement which we hope you will regard as realistic and useful (and convincing!), and we hope the next annual meeting will approve it.  It is easy for organisations to make staying in existence their primary function in life, and I hope we have not made that mistake.  It is not designed to tie anyone’s hands - Our role is to advise and assist, not to issue instructions.  It is as follows :


BNWA exists to provide the following services to NW in the Borough of Bromley :

1.  To be a symbol of, and a central focus for the promotion of, the
Neighbourhood Watch basic philosophy - that community safety is the responsibility of everyone.

2.  A reservoir of expertise and experience about how NW works, for instance to help with the launch of new watches, expansion of NW into new areas such as young people, local traders, public transport passengers, etc; the re-invigoration of old watches, advice to Coordinators, police and others involved as to NW Best Practice, drawing up of guidelines and codes of practice, resolving disputes, etc.  Making sure Coordinators do not feel isolated and abandoned but fully appreciated and supported.

3.  A unique database of more than 700 Coordinators, a large number of which are on email, hence offering the capacity to reach widely into the entire community with information, advice, requests for assistance, etc, with regular newsletters and bulletins and one-off information when appropriate; also an assurance that data is properly protected and the database is properly run to professional standards.

4.  Possibility of the BNWA database being employed by other users under agreed terms and subject to Data Protection requirements.

5.  An Executive that can represent the needs and concerns of NW members in Bromley to other bodies and agencies, including the Safer Bromley Partnership, the Community Engagement Forum, Bromley Council’s Public Protection and Safety Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee, etc, and to the wider public through the media including the promotion of the NW message.

6.  A borough-wide structure that can encourage, oversee and coordinate the growth of NW through liaison with Safer Neighbourhood Panels and Teams, including training for Coordinators and others on a ward-wide, sector-wide or borough-wide basis.  The encouragement of Coordinators  to join Panels as appropriate, and enable each Panel and each Team to have designated members with a specific interest in NW in that ward or wards.  Provide assistance to such designated members as needed.

7.  Through its status as a registered charity, a guarantee to members that NW is independent of the public sector and not controlled by the police, Bromley Council or any other agency of national or local government but is firmly situated in civil society with its own autonomy.


Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if I can be of any service or have any comments, via my email - Clifford@BromleyNWA.org.uk, or phone 01689 853 189.

With my best wishes, and thanks for all you do.

Yours

   

Clifford Longley
Chairman, Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association
13th November 2010