What is the "Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network"?

Our aims

The Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (NHWN) represents Neighbourhood and Home Watch members across England and Wales. It is the only umbrella body for Watch schemes and members that works closely with the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Our vision is for a society founded on trust and respect where people live in communities that are safe and enjoy a good quality of life. We aim to improve community life by listening to and supporting our grassroots members and ensuring their voices are heard at a national level

You can download our 2010-15 Business Plan and our constitution.

How it all started

During late 2006, Hertfordshire Chief Constable Frank Whiteley (Association of Chief Police Officers lead for Watch issues) was becoming increasingly concerned that Neighbourhood Watch lacked any representation or presence at national level. To resolve this situation, he set up a team to look at how the grassroots Neighbourhood Watch members themselves wanted to see such representation.

Exploratory meetings were held in each of the nine English regions and Wales, involving representatives of Neighbourhood Watch at both force and regional levels. In early 2007 three symposia were held (in the South East, West Midlands and the North West) to which every force was invited to send Watch representatives from their respective areas.

At these symposia, delegates were invited to discuss and to vote on their preferred way to achieve a new form of representation at the national level for England & Wales. Members representing all ten regions agreed in principle and overwhelmingly that they wanted to see a regional and national structure. NHWN formally came into being with its first meeting held in July 2007.

Our structure

NHWN is run by a Board of Trustees who are advised by an Advisory Group made up of a representative from each of the nine English regions and Wales (ten regions in total). These representatives are elected by their own region and liaise between NHWN and grassroots members.

NHWN in your region

Each region has a Regional Representative that sits on the Advisory Group. You can contact your representative by email about issues affecting Neighbourhood Watch in your area:

Communication with our members

We are planning to launch a new website shortly. This will include a postcode search facility so that people can find the Watch scheme nearest to them. If you are a scheme coordinator and would like your scheme to appear on our map, please click here to pre-register in advance of the launch.

We are also launching a national communication system for our members and we would like to encourage all our members to register if you have not already done so. You can read further details here or contact enquiries@nationalnhw.org or call 0116 229 3118 if you have any questions.

Ordering Neighbourhood or Home Watch materials

If you want to order Neighbourhood or Home Watch materials, you can place orders by phoning Prolog on 0870 241 4680 or by emailing homeoffice@prolog.uk.com.

Home Office budget constraints mean that they are unable to fund the production, storage and distribution of further materials, so please check with Prolog to see which items are still in stock. NHWN is currently trying to source and secure further funding for materials and will keep our members updated with progress.

To avoid disappointment we recommend that you try to place your order in advance. Please allow 5 working days for your order to arrive, and if you are planning an event or need items for a specific date make sure you give the needed delivery date when placing your order.

Minutes of Advisory Group meetings

For the minutes of our Advisory Group meetings, please click here.