Creation of an Association to Support Neighbourhood Watch in Lambeth

To Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators in Lambeth 

From Philip Virgo as Development Lead

This is to ask who should be invited to represent your group (prime contact and one or more reserves) is the process of agreeing the formation of an Association to support NHWS Groups in Lamberh. 

The recent Lambeth Council consultation on spending priorities  indicated that “cutting violence and anti-social behaviour” came top. The 2025 Neighbourhood Watch national survey indicated a similar priority for addressing ASB with cyber-crime (including abuse and fraud) second. 

This “Alert" is to:

Around 2,000 Lambeth residents are signed up for Neighbourhood Watch and a further 3,000 participate in social media groups and TRAs linked to over 120 street/estate groups.  But there is no Association to support them

Some groups are active, working with their ward community police teams including to support vulnerable neighbours who are too frightened of being scammed to answer a phone call, respond to a text or e-mail or use an app to access services. Others focus on crime prevention, reporting and intelligence the provision. 

What groups do is up to them. The role of an Association is support them and help communications and co-operation with community police teams, council and other partners, in line with the national  Memorandum of Association  and Framework Document for Local Police Neighbourhood Watch Liaison . We also hope to agree ward-based  processes for information sharing and co-operation via the Neighbourhood Alert system used by both NHW and  Met Engage. 

After discussions during the Met Police Commissioners visit to Brixton on December 9th the development team agreed to plan the creation of an Association by the end of March for public  launch in time for Neighbourhood Watch Week (June 1st - 7th) including youth engagement programmes for after the exam season.  

The intention is to follow the National Neighbourhood Watch 2026 Strategy: Watch, Connect, Act and support ward-based co-operation with the Police to implement the White Paper From Local to national: A New Model for Policing in line with the concepts behind the  Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee ,  Right Care, Right Person  and Young Futures Hubs , with a strong focus on social inclusion to meet the needs of Lambeth (barely 40% White British).

Copies of the development strategy and progress report are attached. 

Please reply to this Alert letting me know who should be invited to represent your group (prime contact and one or more reserves). 

Also please let me know if you or a colleague would like to join the planning/development team and your areas of interest.