Neighbourhood Watch / OWL

The Online Watch Link (OWL) is being used in the Gwent area to enable groups such as Neighbourhood Watch and the police to share information. The community messaging service allows residents and officers to speak to each other via a number of methods, including via e-mail, telephone and text message. You don't need to be online and it's free, quick and easy to join?

Neighbourhood Watch is a voluntary organisation with over 6 million UK members. The introduction of local Neighbourhood Watch schemes encourages neighbours to look out for each other, develop community spirit, have a collective stronger voice in their community and work together to protect their community and report suspicious people / incidents to the police. There are a number of other benefits of being a member of a Neighbourhood Watch. These include:

• Acting as a deterrent to burglars, car thieves and unscrupulous door to door callers
  
  
• Encouraging neighbours to communicate with and look out for one another and work together
  
  
• Encouraging local residents to work with officers to tackle community issues and to report suspicious activity
  
  
• Through OWL, receive direct communication from the police about local incidents, including alerts and advice
  
  
• Discounted home insurance is often available to Neighbourhood Watch members
  
  
• An added sense of security through being in a Neighbourhood Watch and improved community spirit
  

Already we have over 4000 neighbourhood watch members in the Gwent area, with the numbers growing every day!

OWL is a communication system that Neighbourhood Watch members use in Gwent. By signing up to receive messages via OWL, you automatically become a member of Neighbourhood Watch, enjoying the benefits mentioned above.

OWL ? which is a free service ? allows members to receive messages in a number of formats directly from other local Neighbourhood Watches as well as organisations such as Gwent Police. The majority of members choose to receive messages via e-mail. But don't worry if you don't have an e-mail account ? you can choose to receive messages via alternative methods such as by text message, fax or telephone.

Those already signed up to the system are receiving regular information about action that is being taken to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, crime prevention advice, incident alerts and dates to meet local Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

Residents using OWL can contact local officers easily by e-mail, can keep in touch with their coordinator or area coordinator to raise issues, as well as to submit information and intelligence to the police. Please note that the system should not be used to report incidents of crime. Please phone 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency.

Recipients can unsubscribe at any time and your details will be treated confidentially and in line with the Data Protection Act. Once you are set up on the system, you are in charge of your own information, and it is up to you to change or amend any details. The ownership and responsibility is yours as the individual.

As a Neighbourhood Watch Member?
To find out if there is already an existing watch for your area, then please visit http://www.owl.co.uk/watchfinder.htm and enter your postcode. If one already exists, then you can simply apply to join online. You will be sent a password generated by the system which only you will see.

Once you are member then you can view any information within the system on local issues, but rest assured you can only see your details and those of your coordinator. Others on the system can only do the same unless they are coordinators or local neighbourhood officers.

As a Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator?
If a NHW doesn't exist, then you might like to consider starting one and becoming a coordinator for your street. Again, you can simply submit your details via the OWL website to register your interest. If you would like to become a coordinator, then you need to express your interest via OWL or via your local neighbourhood officers. Once you have done this, a local officer or area coordinator will be in touch to meet up and discuss helping you to start a watch ? in the mean time you can still join OWL to receive information.

The workload then is up to you ? some watches have coordinators and members who have regular meetings, minutes and nights out. Others are far more informal groups, meeting only socially and occasionally. It's up to each watch to do what suits them!

If you would like to be a more active member, then you can also get involved in your local association (such as in Newport, Abergavenny, Caerphilly etc.) and there is a Gwent NHW Association who own OWL and work with the police at a Gwent Level and represent all areas.