On Friday at the Royal Highland Show, Ingliston the partnership
of Police Scotland, NFU Scotland and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland will launch
their Rural Watch Scotland initiative.
'Rural Watch Scotland' is an extension of the Neighbourhood
Watch concept and a product of the *Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime
(SPARC) designed specifically for the rural communities of Scotland and aims to
bring all the benefits of Neighbourhood Watch to rural communities irrespective
of location, size or demographics.
Rural Watch Scotland launch The objectives of Rural Watch
Scotland are to:
•Reduce crime and the fear of crime by providing the right
information, to the right people, at the right time,
•Encourage people to think about safety and security for
themselves, their neighbours and their community,
•Improve community cohesion and well-being,
•Work in partnership with national and local service
providers to develop more resilient communities that are better prepared
against threats, intentional or unintentional, such as crime or extreme
weather.
In meeting these objectives effective communication between
partners and consistent engagement with rural communities is vital.
Neighbourhood ALERT, a targeted, two way messaging system specifically designed
in the UK for the purposes of community engagement will play a central role in
providing consistent, locally relevant and inclusive communication with people
living and working within a rural setting.
The last six months has seen the establishment of a local
Neighbourhood ALERT administrator network across all areas of Police Scotland.
Rural Watch Scotland encourages people to sign up to receive
alerts and advice by email, text or voicemail from local police officers and
other approved information providers. Keeping communities informed about crime
and other threats in their areas can help prevent crime, keep communities and
residents safe, and the response to these alerts can help catch criminals or
allow communities to better prepare to deal with local issues.
To sign up to receive local ALERTS users simply click the
green JOIN button on the Rural Watch Website – www.ruralwatchscotland.co.uk.
Experience provides that people who sign up to Rural Watch Scotland and
thereafter apply the advice they receive will be less likely to be a victim of
crime and be better prepared for other potential harm.
Signing up for local ALERTS does not require anyone to join
or start up a formal Rural Watch scheme, however the benefits of joining or
establishing such a local community group are always available.
Superintendent Gavin Robertson, who chairs the SPARC Group
said: “The availability of a national Rural Watch Alert platform has been one
of the main aims of SPARC since it was formed in 2015. I am pleased to see the
service come to fruition.
"I am confident that this direct messaging system will
benefit rural communities and I urge farmers, foresters, rural businesses and
residents as well as those who regularly visit the countryside for leisure
activities to sign up to receive relevant information about rural crime in
their area. I am grateful for the funding from Neighbourhood Watch Scotland,
NFU Scotland and Police Scotland to bring a consistent messaging service to all
rural communities across the country.”
Jamie Smart, NFU Scotland’s Legal and Technical Policy
Committee Chairman, commented: “NFU Scotland has been working closely as part
of the SPARC group to reduce rural crime in all its forms, and we are starting
to see some real benefits from this partnership.”
“This new platform is designed to allow faster
communications, alerting those in the rural communities of problems or
potential problems in their own area. This service is free, can be tailored to
your own requirements and only takes minutes to register.”
“We would urge all of our members to register their details
to stay informed of all of the latest developments in their area.”
Detective Chief Inspector Ronnie Megaughin, Safer
Communities, Police Scotland said, “We are delighted that the Rural Watch Alert
messaging system is now available across Scotland. Rural Watch messaging system
is an excellent facility to get relevant information to rural residents about
crime and incidents in their local area and I am grateful for the support given
by Neighbourhood Watch Scotland in getting us to this point”
Alan Dobie, Chair of the Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Board
said: “We are delighted to be working with our partners to bring the benefits
of strong, resilient and well connected communities to all the rural areas in
Scotland”.
*The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) is a
multi-agency partnership that includes Police Scotland, NFU Scotland, Scottish
Land & Estates, Scottish Business Resilience Centre, Scottish Government,
NFU Mutual, Crimestoppers, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and
Neighbourhood Watch Scotland.
Contact Details
Call 101 for non-emergencies and general enquiries, in an
emergency call 999. If you have information about a crime you can also contact
Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
