WSNHWA

THE WILTSHIRE & SWINDON NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION

The NHW organisation is in effect a Partnership between the Police and the large network of volunteers in over 3000 Schemes across the county.

While the system essentially works on a local level as described above, it became clear a few years ago that there were issues being raised about the way the system worked and how it might best respond to change which would be most efficiently addressed on a County-wide basis.

For example, the Police were keen to know what common problems volunteers were experiencing so that they could address these in a co-ordinated rather than piecemeal manner.

Some volunteers, on the other hand, were keen to link up with others across the County to share experience and good practice and to play a wider role in assisting the Police to administer the NHW network.

They were also aware, from other Counties, of the possibilities of attracting sponsorship and even charitable status for an appropriately established organisation with such aims and objectives.

As a result the Police and interested volunteers worked to set up a County Neighbourhood Watch Association to meet these objectives.

It was formally constituted as the Wiltshire & Swindon Neighbourhood Watch Association (W&SNHWA) in July 2004 and an initial open meeting, attended by the Chief Constable, was held in March 2005 and inaugural AGM on 31st March 2006 at which the Association’s Officers were elected.

Since then a small Committee of volunteers, with Police support, has been working to put the Association on a firm administrative footing; to attract funding (we now have two commercial sponsors: ‘Soft Options Ltd’ and ‘ADT Home Security’); and to understand the overall NHW picture across the County.

Effective communication down to Scheme level remains our biggest challenge and to this end the Association has now established it’s own web site.

The Police have introduced a new Scheme creation form - now being administered by NPTs - whereby any new Schemes established will be registered with the Association at the outset.

Registration also brings with it Public Liability Insurance cover for Scheme members in undertaking their NHW duties.

[i]The Association is currently seeking a Secretary and replacements for Co- ordinators/Committee members who have moved away so please get in touch via the Association website or Chairman Digby Barker.

ARE YOU IN THE ASSOCIATION?

In August 2006 Wiltshire Police were required to update their Neighbourhood Watch database (CMS) and letters were sent out to all Scheme Co- ordinators asking for up-to-date details of their Scheme/s.

A form (Form 989) and a stamped addressed envelope were sent to all Scheme Co- ordinators then shown on the CMS Database for this purpose. It is Wiltshire Police's policy that NHW schemes are affiliated to the Association unless the part of the form confirming the Scheme's wish not to be affiliated was signed.

The signing of this part of the form has one main drawback in that members of such Schemes will not be covered by the Association's Public Liability Insurance which is free to all our members so you should make sure that your Scheme and households have some other form of Public Liability cover in respect to your Neighbourhood Watch activities.

If your Scheme Co-ordinator did not opt out of the Association in completing the form then you are covered by the Insurance - but see the PLI page on this site for information about what needs to be done to ensure that the necessary information is kept up to date.

If you still have the form, please complete it and send it back. If you did not receive one - or would like to reverse your decision to opt out of the Association - then please contact ther Association via dnhb@blueyonder.co.uk