• Neighborhood watches instill a sense of community.Neighborhood image by Joelyn Pullano from Fotolia.com
  
  The best way to control crime is to prevent it from happening in the first place--communities with little or no crime may find this easy to accomplish. Others, however, experience a level of crime that causes residents to form a neighborhood watch to prevent or reduce illicit activities. Participants derive a renewed sense of responsibility for their fellow man, and not only is a watch an excellent way to meet neighbors, it effectively allows you to feel more secure in your home and have fewer fears about your children playing on nearby streets or at local parks.
  
  

Police Benefits

• Police officers are able to patrol neighborhoods with organized watches less often than other neighborhoods in the community. Organized neighborhood watch programs whose members regularly walk or drive through designated areas and report suspicious activity to police officers via cell phone or two-way radios tend to have less crime, according to the International Foundation for Protection Officers. A National Crime Prevention Council report conducted in 2008 indicated that out of 36 communities with neighborhood watches studied, 19 of them had a reduction in crime of at least 9 percent.
  
  

Displays of Crime Intolerance

• Involving your neighborhood in a joint effort to observe and report suspicious behavior means that you will be able to obtain signs that display this fact from your local police department. These signs deter criminals who are thinking of invading the security of your street, block or neighborhood. A criminal has no idea when or where someone will document his actions or report him at any given moment.
  
  

Community Benefits

• Sharing a goal to join a neighborhood watch promotes a better quality of life and is effective in reducing crime in the neighborhood, according to USA on Watch. The participants come to care about each other and, therefore, feel more confident about their security and gain a sense of pride in their community. This, in turn, helps the community to maintain higher overall standards and attract other law-abiding residents seeking a safe area to live.