Protect your neighbour

One of God's precepts is to love one's neighbour. Good neighbourhood demands that we respect and protect our neighbours. They in turn must respect and protect us. There rarely comes a week when newspapers do not contain a sad and shabby litany of tragedies. Among these are drugs-related thefts.

The news is usually depressing. Yet there is an unhealthy compulsion involved in reading about the misfortune of others. At the same time if the misfortune or crime occurred in the neighbourhood there is an added fear that similar bad things may happen to the reader. This is the why Neighbourhood Watch Schemes have been devised and taken root in Britain and the US.

Neighbourhood Watch keeps a lookout for persons who may be suspicious characters intent on committing an offence in the locality. It is also concerned with ensuring that the house is secure against casual breaking in.

Pope's plea for solidarity

The Pope's message in his encyclical Laborem Exercens sees people not as rivals but as members of one human race. "Loving our neighbour" in this globalised world takes on a new meaning. Even in polarised Malta, when matters come to a crunch neighbours tend to set aside political, social or economic differences and help willingly.

The help being referred to is solidarity always, not just in time of need. For example, a family is going on holiday and will not be at home for some days. It is right and proper for this family to approach their neighbours and ask them to look after their property during their absence. This may be a rather tall demand.

What is meant is that if any stranger approaches the vacant house acting suspiciously, the neighbours go on the alert. They do this by showing a wouldbe intruder that he has been noticed. Another method is to report immediately to the police that suspicious characters are probably trespassing on their neighbour's property.

But there is a problem here. The officer at this station may not have been trained in crime prevention and therefore is not familiar with Neighbourhood Watch. He may also lack the necessary human and mechanical resources to take immediate action. What is bad in such a situation is that as far as is known, there is no Crime Prevention Unit in district police stations.

A Neighbourhood Watch Scheme has to have a Crime Prevention Unit at the other end, namely at the police station. Otherwise this scheme just will not work.

Practically all over the world police departments always complain of insufficient human resources. Also, sadly, drug abuse is rampant everywhere, including Malta. Drugs are expensive and abusers generally cannot afford the high prices. So they resort to burglaries and theft.

These serious crimes become worse when the victim is elderly. The offender may resort to violence with all that this may entail in the way of injuries. This shows why the public should help the police. Otherwise the police may be unable, with their limited resources, to actively and successfully help the citizens.

Organisation

Neighbourhood watch is a scheme. As such it has to be organised on serious and efficient lines. First of all, members have to be volunteers. The committee consists of only three or five executives. All other members have to be active in the sense that a close watch will have to be maintained at all times.

There may also be the need of night patrols. This would mean teams of at least three for self-protection as well as signalling to the would-be criminal that it is not worth his while to carry out his evil intent. He would be alerted because of the possibility of being recognised or at least a close description of his vehicle, if used, would be forthcoming.

There will have to be a system of networking by telephone to give warning of impending danger or notice of the possible commission of an offence, especially of theft from cars or houses.

Members should include professionals. Female or elderly victims will surely suffer trauma on being attacked at home and robbed. Another professional will have to be a medical practitioner to treat the shocked victim. It would also help if a lawyer were on hand to give advice.

A carpenter would be useful if the break-in caused serious damage to doors or windows. The victim would not feel secure for the rest of the night if repairs are not carried out immediately.

Committee work

The work of the executive committee consists principally in training members on how to render their house secure against unlawful intrusion. Police help may be best sought for this particular purpose.

The locality covered by the Neighbourhood Watch scheme has to be divided into zones. The head of every zone must be the first contact of a watcher who has something suspicious to report. The head or zone manager should be able to calmly instruct the caller to notice details of the offender or the vehicle for onward transmission to the police. The zone manager will communicate with other zones to be on the watch out for describing the offenders if they pass their way on their escape from the scene of crime.

The chief warden will ensure that police action is promised without fail always provided that it is available.

The victim must be assisted by the local Victim Support Group if there is one. If not, then such support will have to be given by the Neighbourhood Watch. This is mostly needed as soon as the offence is reported.

It is even more sorely needed if the case goes to court. Luckily our courts are now alerted as to the rights of victims. Incidentally, a Victims Charter is needed to be drawn without further delay. This is the duty of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Justice.

All this is in conjunction with an appeal for a pro-active, categorical programme of crime prevention which is, after all, the primary duty of the police.