Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Power

Many voluntary organisations support and develop crime prevention initiatives in local communities:

• Local Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) provide advice and support to community groups on a number of issues, including local crime prevention initiatives.
• Help the Aged and Age Concern raise funds, educate and administer projects to help provide for the security needs of elderly people.
• NACRO (the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) take on crime problems by involving local residents and agencies on a project basis. NACRO Crime Prevention Unit and the Safe Neighbourhoods Unit offer a range of services to local authorities and other agencies.
• Crime Concern an independent national organisation which develops and supports crime prevention initiatives. Works closely with the private sector to produce funding for local projects.
• Crimestoppers, operated by the police, seeks anonymous information about crime on a freephone (0800 555 111) with cash rewards available.

Consumer Power and Crime Prevention

Many products and services supplied by companies are designed or provided with little or no regard being paid to crime prevention. If you have a choice between two similar products, but one has security designed into it and the other hasn't, buy the one which has. If enough people do the same, the other manufacturer will soon redesign its product.

You can exert this type of influence in many areas:

• Housing: if you are buying or renting a new house or flat, ask the builders or landlord to fit window locks, deadlocks and strong doors.
• Council housing: if your council house or flat is not secure, ask the council for something to be done. As well as giving you peace of mind, it will encourage them to improve the security of their properties as a routine feature of refurbishment.
• Roads, footpaths and subways: you can help to maintain a safer environment by reporting to the authorities if streets, footpaths and subways are not well lit.
• Building design: developers and local authorities should demand that new developments like housing estates, shopping precincts and car parks are designed to minimise the opportunities for criminals, and to create attractive and welcoming environments.
• Schools: arson and vandalism cost schools dearly – between five and ten per cent of some education authorities' maintenance budgets are spent repairing vandalism damage. The money could be spent elsewhere by reducing vandalism through good design, sensible security measures and better management practices. Ask what your children's school is doing to prevent vandalism and the risk of arson.
• Home insurance: does your insurance company offer discounts on home insurance if you are a member of Neighbourhood Watch? If not, try to find an insurance company who does.

Links

The following publications could be useful:

Neighbourhood Watch - A Guide to Successful Schemes - October 1993. Available from Crime Concern, Signal Point, Station Road, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 1FE. Tel 0179 351 4596.

'A Practical Guide to Crime Prevention for Local Partnerships - October 1993.' Available from Home Office Crime Prevention Unit, Room 583, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT.

'Manual for Action' - advice on how to set up a crime prevention panel.

You can get more information on Neighbourhood Watch in the leaflet 'Welcome to Neighbourhood Watch.'

The above titles are available from Home Office, Communication Directorate, Room 151, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT.

Local Voluntary Service Council

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Neighbourhood; Street and other 'Watch' schemes

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