Social Scapes

Crime is resilient and likely here to stay. To homeowners this may be a distressing thought, but the good news is that criminals like an easy target. Call it laziness, call it efficiency, but criminals do not want to bother with lots of obstacles when they know that an easier option always exists. With that in mind, one of the best things homeowners can do for their personal home security is support and become involved with a local neighborhood watch program.

Neighborhood watches operate on the simple principle that a community that knows itself, and whose members know each other, is a safer community. It is about cooperation, familiarity and looking out for the people next to you. While “neighborhood watch” is a phrase many people have only seen on fading stickers stuck to old homes, many such programs are still alive and well and keeping communities safe. If your neighborhood or condominium complex or apartment building does not have a community group dedicated to crime prevention, try to start one. If one already exists, make sure to participate. It is an easy, cost-effective way to make your family and home much safer.

The benefits of neighborhood watch programs are many. Aside from an improved sense of home safety, you will be addressing the larger issue of crime in society and helping to make your village, town, or city a safer place for future generations. You will develop friendships with neighbors and become better acquainted with those around you, all by virtue of a great community project. You will have a network of people you can look to for help in specific situations, such as collection of mail or garbage while you are away. You will have a greater sense of awareness of what is going on in the community and how it might impact your safety. You will be able to learn from the successes and failures of your neighbors—ask that neighbor with the new home alarm if he likes the service he is getting, or what sort of security lights they installed for their home security system.

Every neighborhood watch program should operate with a certain set of basic guidelines. Here are some examples:

Be familiar with your neighbors—who they are, whether or not they have kids, whether or not certain family members or boyfriends/girlfriends visit from time to time. Know whether or not your neighbors have home alarm systems and whether or not they have had false alarms.

Be aware of what’s going on—is there a group of young men or women walking around looking at houses? Has a strange car been seen recently driving around?

Do not be afraid to report suspicious activity—if someone suspicious has been hanging around, do not hesitate to mention it to the police and to the neighborhood watch group. Making all neighbors aware increases the likelihood that crimes will be prevented.

Share basic crime prevention tips and practices with everyone. Is one of your neighbors leaving windows open or bikes out in the yard? Has one child been telling everyone at school about the three new TVs her family bought? Help the community by making sure everyone is following sound home security advice, not just two or three families.