I have been a resident of Blunham since 2013 and am one of a few volunteers who have come together during the lockdown period to set up our Blunham Community Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
Sadly, our village has been victim to recent thefts and burglaries over the last number of months prior to the Covid19 pandemic.
Having met our local PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) back in January 2020, we were keen to re-enable and start up our Neighbourhood watch scheme for our village.
Our aim is to assist and support our community with up to date information, tips, guidance to help them keep safe and secure in the best way possible. This will also enable our local PCSOs to provide us with up to date information and alerts to help keep our residents vigilant and safe.
We would like to also enable a communications hub (both online and offline) where our neighbours can share their concerns, worries and experiences.
Being one of the lead coordinators for our Blunham Community Response Group (BCRG), Chris Smith (retired Police Sergeant and Blunham Resident) and I registered our scheme on the national https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/ website back in March 2020. (The team at OurWatch are there to help provide guidance, information and support.)
We have a number of volunteers registered already, and would like to welcome and invite anyone who would like to volunteer and join our scheme by registering at https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/scheme/51552/blunham-community-neighbourhood-watch.
Street Watch
As from March 2021, we are also looking into the idea of setting up a Street Watch Scheme, if we can get enough volunteers. Please do get in touch if you are interested.
What is Street Watch?
Street Watch schemes can be considered a natural extension to Neighbourhood Watch and activity can operate alongside existing Neighbourhood Watch Schemes or run independently.
Street Watch members are community citizens with no police powers. If they see anything suspicious, all they are asked to do is report it to the police.
Groups are managed by a co-ordinator who provides advice, guidance and support in consultation with the local police.
The visible presence of Street Watch can assist by:
- Reducing the fear of crime
- Providing accurate information about risks
- Promoting a sense of security and community spirit
- Reassurance for vulnerable members of the community
What commitment is needed from volunteers?
Street Watch is led by Bedfordshire Police in partnership with the local community.
As a Street Watch volunteer you will be trained/guided to patrol our area in pairs equipped with high visibility jackets, torch and alarms by the Bedfordshire Police Street Watch Scheme.
The commitment requires only a minimum of 2 hours per month.
If you are interested in joining our Blunham Street Watch Scheme please send either
Phil Eves (phileves@aol.co.uk Coordinator Blunham Street Watch), Chris Smith (c5rpu@yahoo.com Coordinator – Blunham CNW)) or myself a direct Facebook message / email with your:
- Full Name
- Email address
- DoB
N.B.: You will need to be over the age of 18 and a resident in Blunham to join. The information above is required by Bedfordshire Street Watch Scheme as part of the vetting process for volunteers in order to get our scheme up and running.
If you have any questions or queries please message us directly.
We do hope you will join our Street Watch Scheme and help keep Blunham safe.
Many thanks
Rosey Woodhead
Coordinator, Blunham Community Neighbourhood Watch.