Protect your community: Join Neighbourhood Watch
Thursday March 5 2015, 4:30pm
Port Douglas residents can protect their community from the ongoing crime wave by forming a Neighbourhood Watch, the town’s top cop says.
Officer in Charge (OIC) Sergeant Damian Meadows has been hoping to get a Neighbourhood Watch for Port Douglas together for some time and says there’s no better time than now, during a spike of house break-ins and car thefts.
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“Port Douglas has never had a neighbourhood watch before, and it’s not too big so it’d be easy enough to set up,” Sgt Meadows said.
“You would need maybe seven or eight representatives, covering Oak Beach, Ocean View Drive, Killaloe, Reef Park, Port Gardens, Solander Boulevard, Craiglie and Port Douglas CBD.
“They would function as a conduit between police and the community to help make us more aware.
“Police can’t be in every street at every time but the residents are.
“We would have monthly meetings and the information they have would help us task our officers and resources more accurately."
Neighbourhood Watch isn’t just about making the cops’ job easier - it’s about the community helping keep themselves safe, Sgt Meadows said.
“The big thing is ownership,” he said.
“This is their community, our community.
If they want to help keep themselves, their families and their properties safe, this is the way to do it.”
Sgt Meadows predicted some apprehension for the idea but is confident the community would be keen to get behind the concept.
“Some people can get a bit hesitant because they are worried about being seen as a dobber or disloyal,” he said.
“If people are worred about this sort of thing, there is the ‘E-watch’ online service that is maintained by the police, this allows residents to pass along observations anonymously over the internet.
“I think that this town is full of good people, and they want to help each other stay safe. Often it’s just that fact that you can put up the sign saying ‘this is a Neighbourhood Watch Community’ that can convince a potential thief to change his mind.”
Sgt Meadows said there was a range of funding and support options available for helping set up a Neighbourhood Watch, including making it a Local Problem-Oriented Policing Project (POPP).
Anyone interested in the Neighbourhood Watch can contact the Port Douglas Police Station on 4087 1999.
What about you?
Do you have what it takes to keep your community safe?
