Garda Crime Prevention Information:

What is Neighbourhood Watch?

Neighbourhood Watch is a crime prevention and community safety programme. It operates as a partnership between An Garda Síochána and the public. It works on the basis that every member of a community can help to improve the quality of life in their area, by keeping a look out for neighbours and reporting suspicious activities to the Gardaí.

What are some of the aims of Neighbourhood Watch?

What is the Garda Input into Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

While Neighbourhood Watch is a partnership programme, An Garda Síochána give a commitment to its promotion, organisation and support including:

• They include Neighbourhood Watch in all crime prevention and crime reduction strategies.
• They provide all resource material (booklets, window stickers, survey forms and administration forms)
• They assign a Liaison Garda to each Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (ours is based in Cabinteely Garda Station)

Please see here - Gardai Information - for further detail.

How our Neighbourhood Watch Scheme Works

• Our Neighbourhood Watch Scheme comprises mainly of a 'Text Alert' system
• A member of the Residents Association is the Lead Coordinator.
• Once you apply to be a part of the scheme the following happens:

1. 1. You will be appointed a Volunteer Coordinator.
2. 2. The Volunteer Coordinator will call to your home and give you a membership pack. The pack comprises of an introductory letter, home safety questionnaire, window / door sticker and a safety card to be used with unidentified callers to your front door.
3. 3. They will confirm 1 mobile number for your home and ask you to sign a consent form for receiving text messages.
4. 4. They will then forward you alert text messages advising you of activity in our estate (all texts are screened by the Residents Association Lead Coordinator to ensure anonymity).
5. 5. If anything happens to you, along with informing the Gardaí you send a text message to your Volunteer Coordinator who will in turn send it to the Lead Coordinator for screening and dissemination.
6. 6. The Lead Coordinator advises the Liaison Garda of the details of all alert texts sent within our estate.

We have also applied to The Gardaí for approval to install Neighbourhood Watch signs throughout the estate. Once our application is approved by the Gardaí, it is then sent to DLRCoCo for approval.

We hope that all members have completed their 'Home Safety Questionnaire' and considered their individual results.

Management of our Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

The service is managed by the Residents Association and a number of volunteers from within the estate. The current leaders are a combination of Resident Association Committee Members, and residents who volunteered to take part. There are almost 700 houses in our estate. We now have approximately 270 members in the re-established Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

Our aim is to have all houses in the estate included in the scheme.

Membership of our Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

The annual subscription covers the costs of running the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

If you have paid your subscription and wish to join, please download the

Neighbourhood Watch Application Form

or contact any of the committee members through our

Contact Form

Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators Needed

Due to the positive response we have had to the scheme, more Volunteer Coordinators are needed in order for us to function efficiently. This is not a demanding role. Please talk to a committee member for further details.

If you are interested, please contact any member of the Residents Association or use our Contact Form.