The NHW organisation is in effect a Partnership between the Police and the large network of volunteers in some 4500 Schemes across the county. While the system essentially works on a local level ('the Scheme', comprising typically a dozen households) It became clear a few years ago that there were issues being raised about the way the system worked and how it might best respond to change which would be most efficiently addressed on a County-wide basis.
For example, the Police were keen to know what common problems volunteers were experiencing so that they could address these in a co-ordinated rather than piecemeal manner. Some volunteers, on the other hand, were keen to link up with others across the County to share experience and good practice and to play a wider role in assisting the Police to administer the NHW network. They were also aware, from other Counties, of the possibilities of attracting sponsorship and even charitable status for an appropriately established organisation with such aims and objectives.

As a result the Police, their Neighbourhood Watch Liaison Officers (NHWLOs) and interested volunteers worked to set up a County Neighbourhood Watch Association to meet these objectives. It was formally constituted as the Wiltshire & Swindon Neighbourhood Watch Association (W&SNHWA) - on a basis advised by the then National NHW Association.

In July 2004. An initial open meeting was held in March 2005 and the inaugural AGM on 31st March 2006. Since then a small Committee of volunteers, with Police support, has been working to put the Association on a firm administrative footing; to attract funding; to understand the overall NHW picture across the County; and to work out how to communicate effectively and efficiently down to Scheme level.

The formation of the W&SNHWA has also introduced additional volunteer co-ordinator posts at Section Level (aligned with areas covered by main Police Stations) and District level (aligned with Police Divisions). Such Co-ordinators recruited so far have been working with the NHWLOs and the 'traditional' Area and Scheme Co- ordinators to maintain and develop the NHW network in their areas of responsibility and have represented on the Association Committee the views coming from the volunteers at large.

In August 2006, Wiltshire Police contacted all Schemes on their NHW database (known as the 'CMS') informing them that they would all become members of the Association unless they opted out. The Association committee helped the Police update the CMS in the light of the information received in response.

Membership of the Association - which is free - brings with it Public Liability Insurance cover for Scheme members in undertaking their NHW duties.

The development of the Association is taking place in parallel with many other changes such as the reorganisation of Wiltshire Police into just 2 Divisions and the emergence of Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs). The Association Committee provides the forum for raising and resolve the issues these changes bring for the NHW organisational structure and its members. One of the changes is that NPTs will now take on the job of formally registering new Schemes and keeping in touch with them while the NHWLOs - based at Salisbury and Swindon - will play more of an advisory role.

So the message to NHW members is - make sure you are in touch with your local NPT: if you haven't heard from them, take the initiative and make contact through your local Section Inspector via the central 0845 408 7000 number.