
Protecting Our Community Together
Neighbourhood Watch is about people getting together with their neighbours to take action to reduce crime.
They're community initiatives owned and run by their members which are supported by the police but not owned by them, although we sometimes run them.
They work by developing a close relationship between community members and the local police.
Neighbourhood Watch schemes can:
cut crime and the opportunities for crime
help and reassure those who live in the area
encourage neighbourliness and closer communities
Our Services

Crime prevention
In this section of the website, you can access information on specific crime types, such as burglary, antisocial behaviour, harassment and more. You can also access information on cybercrime, the steps you can take to prevent crime, cybercrime, and our Young People's Hub, which provides information on safety and crime prevention for young people.

Young people's hub
It is well known that young people (aged 16 - 24) are disproportionately more likely to be victims of crime. Despite this, statistics on campus crime are only patchily recorded by many UK universities and just a handful make the information available to would-be students. A recent article from UniFresher explores the "top 10 most dangerous universities in the UK for 2023" and looks at which are the most reported crimes on campus/ in student accommodation. Have a look at our How students are affected by crime page to learn more.

Reporting a crime
Reporting a crime
If you are unlucky and have been a victim of crime you can report it in several ways:
If it’s an emergency and the crime is still taking place, call 999 and ask for the police.
If it’s not an emergency, do not call 999. This doesn’t mean the crime is not important – it just helps the police to make the best use of their resources. Many police forces use the 101 non-emergency number, so you can ring that number instead.
You can go to your local police station and report the crime there. You can find the address and telephone number in the local telephone directory or online. Check what time your local police station is open, as not all stations are open all the time.
If you have information regarding a crime and don’t want to talk to the police, contact the charity Crimestoppers online or call 0800 555 111. You will remain 100% anonymous. Always.