Neighborhood Watch: Findings From the 2000 British Crime Survey

• NCJ Number: 191672
• Author(s): Lorraine Sims
• Editor(s): Carole Byron
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 4 pages
• Sale Source: Great Britain Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Home Office Findings 150

Annotation

This paper presents findings from the 2000 British Crime Survey, Neighborhood Watch (NW) schemes.

Abstract

The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a large national survey of people aged 16 and over who live in a representative cross-section of private households in England and Wales. It asks people about crimes they have experienced in the previous year and about a range of other crime-related topics. Some of those interviewed in the 2000 BCS and previous sweeps were asked about Neighborhood Watch (NW) schemes. Neighborhood Watch schemes have existed in the United Kingdom since the early 1980's. They are usually community-based schemes supported by local police. Key points of the survey included: an estimated 29 percent of households were members of the Neighborhood Watch scheme in 2000; Neighborhood Watch membership had increased by four percentage points since the 1992 BCS, with most of the increase between 1996 and 2000; and the BCS estimated that a little under six million households were members of the schemes. The National Neighborhood Watch Association estimated that over 155,000 schemes were in operation; for households that were not members, 78 percent said that they would join a scheme if there were one in the local area; owner-occupied households (32 percent and households with an annual income over 30,000 pounds (34 percent) were most likely to be members of the Neighborhood Watch scheme; Neighborhood Watch schemes were not necessarily distributed in areas that could benefit from them the most. Areas with low burglary rates tended to have higher membership of Neighborhood Watch schemes (32percent) than areas with high burglary rates (13 percent); households in areas with low levels of perceived disorder were more likely to belong to Neighborhood Watch schemes (32 percent) than those in areas with high levels of perceived disorder (16 percent). Seventy-five percent of respondents thought that Neighborhood Watch schemes were effective in preventing crimes such as burglary. Tables, references