Benefits & Support – Edmonton Neighbourhood Watch

For a community to have an official Edmonton Neighbourhood Watch program, a volunteer (or volunteers) is required to fulfill the role and requirements of either a:

Community Representative who represents an area as defined by the community league boundaries
Neighbourhood Watch Ambassador who represents a smaller area such as a building, complex or a neighbourhood

Why should a community establish an official Edmonton Neighbourhood Watch program?

To create safer neighbourhoods in the community
To support residents of the community through crime prevention programs and initiatives
To develop volunteer expertise within the community
To support crime prevention and safety at the community level
To access the support, resources and training available from ENW
To access Neighbourhood Watch community-based programs: Neighbourhood Sign program, the Door Sticker program and the Developing Communities program. These programs are only available in communities with an official Neighbourhood Watch program (and conducted by an ENW Community Representative or Neighbourhood Watch Ambassador).
To work collaboratively with ENW and other stakeholders to benefit your community
There are many benefits and no cost to establish an official Neighbourhood Watch program

Why is a community league or group needed to establish an official program for a community?

For crime prevention programs to be shared, advertised and made available on a community-wide scale, a means to communicate with the residents is important. Community leagues/groups have existing systems in place such as newsletters, websites, social media etc.
Community leagues/groups have means of centralized communication and, in most cases, access to physical facilities if needed.
ENW requires that an official Neighbourhood Watch program must be inclusive of all residents of the community. That is easily determined by working with groups that are established as inclusive to everyone within the community.

Why is a volunteer needed as the Community Representative or Neighbourhood Watch Ambassador?

For a program to succeed at the community level, someone in the community (who is from the community) has to lead that program.
That someone needs to know how the programs work, where to get resources, and how to access support. ENW provides the training, support and resources.
That person becomes the local Neighbourhood Watch specialist in their community. They share the knowledge and promote the programs to their community.
With roughly 2 full-time staff at ENW (supporting programs for the entire city of Edmonton), a trained volunteer in the community is essential to having a successful program.

Provided to ENW Community Representatives and Neighbourhood Watch Ambassadors

Free training facilitated by Edmonton Neighbourhood Watch & The Edmonton Police Service on crime prevention, ENW programs, information on policing and how to implement community initiatives.

Free support in connecting with various Edmonton Police Services & City of Edmonton people and resources in the field of crime prevention and community safety.

The ability to request any of the Neighbourhood Watch community-based program packages.

The ability to lend resources (from ENW) for community events, door to door campaigns, safety fairs, etc:

ENW Program posters, brochures, program info cards and crime prevention handouts
ID tags (identifying Neighbourhood Watch community volunteers) & lanyards
Lawn signs advertising “Crime Prevention Program in Progress”
Print materials from EPS

Access to the e-library of resources: articles for distribution, handouts, volunteer information, etc.

Notifications of events and workshops.

Support from the ENW Executive Director, Program Director and the EPS Crime Prevention Coordinator.

And more…

* Both positions require the volunteer to be (or become) a member of Edmonton Neighbourhood Watch, pass a Police Information Check conducted by the Edmonton Police Service and attend the Neighbourhood Watch Training. Email communication is required.