How to Find Volunteers to Start a Neighborhood Watch or Crime Patrol Group

Crime is rampant in some areas of the country, especially during the recession where there are lots of people out of a job and turning to crime to survive. That's why it is important that communities have a neighborhood watch program or a crime patrol group.

At first you may find it difficult to find volunteers for your neighborhood watch or crime patrol group. Here are some ways that you can find volunteers and convince them that they will want to participate in patrolling their community to deter crime.

Talk with homeowners one-on-one. If you know of people that are definitely homeowners in your area, start with them first when asking them if they would participate in a neighborhood watch program. Homeowners have more at stake in the community as they own the property in the community. Have a one-on-one conversation with them so they know their contribution is important. Find another person to go with you and work as a team.

Draw up crime statistics. You don't want to scare your neighbors, but you want them to be aware that crime does happen in your neighborhood and how frequently. Having a list and chart of neighborhood crime stats and information on recent incidents can help prove your case that the community needs help with their neighborhood watch program. If crime statistics are low, you can skip this step. You'll want to push the idea of preventing higher crime stats.

Hold a meeting. You don't have to go to houses one by one if you don't want to. If there is a church or community center in your neighborhood, you can invite interested parties to the meeting to discuss starting a neighborhood watch or community patrol. You'll already have an interested audience to hear your pitch.

Spell out expectations. People want to know what they'll be required to do. If they think that a community crime patrol project is going to take too much of their time, they may not volunteer in the first place. Spell out the expectations and stick to them so people feel comfortable with coming aboard to help with the neighborhood watch or crime patrol group.

Have police support. If you can get the local police department to endorse your crime prevention efforts, that would go a long way to convincing your neighbors that a crime patrol group or neighborhood watch is worth the effort. If a neighbor sees something suspicious, they know if they call the police that they will take it seriously because the group has the support of the police department.