Volunteer for Neighbourhood Watch

Sussex Police is making an appeal for members of the public who want to join the scheme which has been relaunched this year with more input from local PCSO's.

A new Sussex Police webpage dedicated to the delivery of NHW messages to members is also going to be set up in the near future.

Local NHW schemes have been running at local level since the 1980s.

East Sussex Division are looking to continue and increase the support at local Neighbourhood Policing level in alignment with the NHW Federation structure. This will ensure a flow of information both to and from police and coordinators.

This year East Sussex Division has adopted the NHW search team. This team has been operational on North Downs and West Downs Divisions for a number of years and recently the scheme has come to our area.

East Sussex Division have 69 traditional NHW members involved and local police are looking to add to this number. Full training in search techniques is delivered, so volunteers get an insight into policing work.

The NHW search team has been a success and is designed for those members who wish to get involved with the local community and assist in searching for local vulnerable missing persons.

This innovative scheme arose from the Sarah Payne murder case. Following appeals by Sussex Police for information to trace Sarah, many members from Neighbourhood Watch across the county, as well as the immediate area where Sarah had gone missing, offered their services to support the extensive field search the police were conducting.

Following the conclusion of that investigation, the West Downs NHW Search Team was born and incorporated into the Sussex Police search strategy, spearheaded by Tony Duffell, the Force Search Manager, as well as the divisional Police Search Advisors.

At the end of 2007, the NHW Search Team came to Battle and were working alongside local officers to help search for a vulnerable man who had been missing for a number of months. The volunteers worked tirelessly to aid the search and their efforts contributed to the recovery of the man's body, which brought months of uncertainty for the family to a close.

NHW has a place within the framework of local neighbourhood policing and public efforts are appreciated and invaluable.

East Sussex Division are looking to strengthen links with local business and residential communities. The majority of intelligence comes directly from local people.

If you are interested in becoming a NHW Coordinator or becoming part of a scheme contact your local Police Community Support Officer. You can find their contact details on the Sussex Police website, www.sussex.police.uk