Abstract
The current paper presents the results of a systematic review of evaluations of neighbourhood watch. The review was conducted as part of the Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group research on the effectiveness of criminal justice interventions. The main finding of the review was that about half of the schemes evaluated showed that neighbourhood watch was effective in reducing crime. However, just under half showed no evidence of success. An analysis of variations in outcome by features of the study, methods used and type of scheme showed some correlations with outcome. The paper concludes that future evaluation reports of neighbourhood watch should present more information on the features of the schemes and the method of analysis used to determine the source of variations in outcome, and to enable systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
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References
Studies included in the review
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Jenkins, A.D. and Latimer, I. (1986) Evaluation of Merseyside Homewatch Scheme. Management Development and Force Planning Unit Liverpool, UK: Merseyside Police.
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Veater, P. (1984) Evaluation of Kingsdown Neighborhood Watch Project, Bristol. Bristol: Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Other references
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Sherman, L.W. (1997) Policing for Crime Prevention. In Sherman, L.W., Gottfredson, D.C., MacKenzie, D.L., Eck, J., Reuter, P. and Bushway, S. (eds) Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn’t, What's Promising. Washington, DC: US Office of Justice Programs.
Sherman, L.W. and Eck, J. (2002) Policing for Crime Prevention. In Sherman, L.W., Farrington, D.P., Welsh, B.C. and MacKenzie, D.L. (eds) Evidence-Based Crime Prevention. London: Routledge, pp 295–329.
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Bennett, T., Holloway, K. & Farrington, D. A Review of the Effectiveness of Neighbourhood Watch. Secur J 22, 143–155 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.sj.8350076
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.sj.8350076