What is a Neighborhood Watch Program?

A Neighborhood Watch program is a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life.

Benefits of Neighborhood Watch

-Reducing the risk of becoming a victim of crime. The risk is reduced because participants
are taught to take preventative measures to substantially decrease the likelihood of
becoming a victim of crime. Neighborhood Watch programs reduce the risks of home
burglaries, vandalism, personal assault and fraud.

-Being better prepared to respond to suspicious activity. Communication between the
neighborhood and the police department is crucial. Part of the Neighborhood Watch
program is learning how to identify and report suspicious activity. You will also learn to
provide the police with the information that they need to resolve the issue.

-Information that impacts your neighborhood. Neighborhood Watch Programs are
designed to keep participants apprised of trends in criminal activity so that they will be
better prepared to prevent it from occurring in their neighborhood.

-Knowing your neighbors. Neighborhood Watch promotes getting to your neighbors and
their patterns. You will learn to be aware of activity that does not fit with regular
schedules. This means that when you are away, you can feel more secure about your
property.

-Reducing the fear of crime and making your neighborhood more livable. Neighborhood
Watch increases the number of arrests and convictions by serving as a conduit between
law enforcement and the community.

-Allowing other areas of concern to be addressed. Neighborhood watch participants can
address other issues that concern their neighborhood or community. Examples could be
fire prevention and/or child safety.

If you have a specific topic or concern that you would like to be covered at a meeting,
please contact Sgt. McIlwain by email at [email protected] or call the
Pageland Police Department at 843.672.6437 an request to leave a message for him.

Interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch Program??

Contact US today to help you get one started at 843.672.6437.

Pageland Police Department
"Working together, we can make a difference"