RESIDENTS across North Wales are being encouraged to get involved in a crime prevention scheme.

Neighbourhood Watch has launched a new campaign – its biggest recruitment drive in recent times – to boost community participation and reduce both the fear and likelihood of crime. 

The Better Place to Live campaign will run until the end of the year and is encouraging greater participation in the nation's largest voluntary crime prevention movement.

Delivered in towns, cities, and villages across England and Wales, it will have a particular drive during Neighbourhood Watch Week between June 3 and 9.

The Neighbourhood Watch charity is supporting its tens of thousands of volunteers to spread the word in their community and its coordinators are supported to increase their membership, as well as encouraging others to start their own groups. 

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Coordinators are also able to support each other in tackling local issues through an online forum and training opportunities.

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, said: "The cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic have highlighted the importance of neighbourhood and community connections in tackling loneliness and isolation, as well as our vital work in crime prevention. 

"We have a proven track record of bringing communities together and helping them to feel safer in a more uncertain world."

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said: “I have always believed that through involving the wider community in initiatives like Neighbourhood Watch, we can make a big difference in preventing crime in North Wales and beyond. 

"I would urge any resident who’s thinking about joining their local scheme to follow this campaign and get involved.”

Members of the public have said that the main barriers to them joining their local Neighbourhood Watch scheme were threefold: they were unsure whether there was a group in their area, they didn't know who else was involved, or simply they hadn't been asked to join. 

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The campaign aims to address these reservations, particularly amongst the charity's underrepresented groups, including 25 to 40-year-olds and those in high-crime areas.

To reach a younger audience, the charity has recruited a young people's project worker and a young trustee, as well as established a presence on Instagram. 

More information about Neighbourhood Watch, including how to join or register a scheme, is available at www.ourwatch.org.uk/betterplacetolive and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.