With instances of petty crime on the increase in Ballarat, police are re-launching the grass-roots Neighbourhood Watch program.
Locals are invited to a session at Lucas Community Hub tonight, the 1st of March, from 6.30pm to learn about the new neighbourhood watch and to connect with interested community members.
It’s been five years since the last time a Neighbourhood Watch program was active in Ballarat.
The roughly 30-45 minute session will aim to identify the types of crimes that are occurring right now in Ballarat and suggest ways that the community can help prevent them.
Acting Sergeant Dominic Alderman of the Ballarat Police says the program focuses on educating people on home protection.
“There’s been a lot of opportunist thefts from motor vehicles, thefts OF motor vehicles, we’re also getting a lot of spontaneous burglaries happening overnight and during the day where offenders are going to houses…basically the doors are just unlocked, (the burglars) are entering the houses, searching for keys, and stealing cars and valuables that are in the house.
“Neighbourhood Watch, it’s about education in relation to making sure you lock your house, you put your keys away, you make it more difficult for the offenders” Sergeant Alderman said.
Local residents are advised that if they can’t make the information session but are still interested in the Neighbourhood Watch program they should call Ballarat Police Station and Sergeant Alderman will contact them.
