Like Neighbourhood Watch, Dog Watch in the Dacorum district of Hertfordshire invites dog owners to be the eyes and ears of their community when out walking their dogs, reporting suspicious activity to the authorities. It has the added advantages to send messages specifically to dog owners.
As part of the drive to encourage more people to join Neighbourhood Watch and Dog Watch, officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team as well as members of Neighbourhood Watch and Watch Liaison Officer, Patrick Beynon, will be at the Paws on the Moors event in Boxmoor on Saturday, June 13.
They will be promoting the benefits of Neighbourhood Watch and enrolling dog walkers on to the Dog Watch scheme. Those who sign up to Dog Watch will be given a free Dog Watch goodie bag. Dog Watch is a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, specific for dog walkers. The scheme is facilitated through the Online Watch Link system (OWL) where members can receive regular updates and alerts from their local policing team via email about crimes occurring in their area and how police are working to tackle it, as well as missing people and other appeals.
Patrick Beynon Watch Liaison Officer for Dacorum, Three Rivers and Watford said: “Active Neighbourhood Watches does result in less crime so we’d encourage people to come along to sign up to the scheme. Being part of Neighbourhood Watch and Dog Watch is really easy and it won’t take up large amount of your time. The schemes have been running for some time in Dacorum, however we’d like more members and are using this event as an opportunity to re-launch the scheme and raise awareness.
“A dog walker can be out and about at all times of the day so can be the eyes and ears of our community, as they often see or hear suspicious behaviour and they notice things out of the ordinary. So we ask our members to keep us informed of anything they think is suspicious. I would encourage anyone who walks their dog to get involved.”
Mike Penning MP and Minister of State for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims, and the local Conservative MP for Hemel, said: “Neighbourhood Watch is a great scheme that not only reduces crime but also brings communities together. I am delighted to back the relaunch of Dog Watch and would encourage any dog walkers to sign up – or, if possible, visit the promotion stand at ‘Paws on the Moors’ or the Kings Langley Fete.”
If you would like to join Neighbourhood Watch and/or Dog Watch, visit www.owl.co.uk to register.
