Cops off the watch

Andrew Mathieson
A staff shortage has forced police to abandon Geelong’s Neighbourhood Watch programs, according to coordinators.
They said the lack of police support would force Neighbourhood Watch to reduce its 48 Geelong branches to six or seven covering the same area.
The coordinators feared the changes would limit the ability of residents to combat crime in their neighbourhoods.
Geelong West area coordinator Bill Polwarth said the overhaul has already begun to affect Neighbourhood Watch operations.
Mr Polwarth said police had not attended Geelong West meetings for more than six months.
Prior to abandoning the meetings, they have left while addressing members to attend reported crimes, he said.
“We have not been getting police to the meetings. They are too busy and they just can’t come.”
Mr Polwarth said the police shortage had also stopped the flow of crime statistics to Neighbourhood Watch meetings.
Police would also scrap the supply of statistical breakdowns on neighbourhood crime to instead supply just one internet report to cover the entire Geelong area.
Mr Polwarth expected traditional Neighbourhood Watch branches, which covered about 1000 residents, to be replaced with larger programs engulfing several suburbs.
“My little area will take over not only the whole of Geelong West but also Hamlyn Heights and Herne Hill under the one Neighbourhood Watch,” he said.
Neighbourhood Watch will also have to take on some police community duties such as monitoring car parks and train stations, Mr Polwarth said.
Police had expressed concern the changes would lead to a mass resignation of the program’s volunteers.
According to a vision statement, Neighbourhood Watch is “the most effective community safety and crime prevention program in Victoria”.
Neighbourhood Watch was founded in 1983 with the aims of preventing and reporting crime while improving personal and household security.
Geelong’s Neighbourhood Watch police coordinator Senior Constable Andrew King was unavailable for comment.
Geelong Inspector Phil Swindells had not replied to the Independent’s call for comment before the paper went to press.