Nottinghamshire County Council has paid tribute to the role of Neighbourhood Watch and its thousands of volunteers in reducing crime in the county, 50 years after the first Neighbourhood Watch scheme was launched.

Neighbourhood Watch first started in the United States in 1964, following the murder of Kitty Genovese in the borough of Queens, New York. The first UK groups – originally known as Home Watch – were formed around 1982.

An estimated 100,000 volunteers in Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City help to run Neighbourhood Watch schemes. The umbrella organisations covering the City and County schemes recently merged into one, called NottsWatch.

The county council has supported the work of Notts Neighbourhood Watch in recent years, including funding for training and setting up the Notts Watch website.

Coun Glynn Gilfoyle, chairman of the Community Safety Committee, said: “Any efforts to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour by the Police and Councils are extremely difficult without the active input of the general public.

“Organisations like Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch give residents a mechanism to share information, reduce crime and improve community safety and well-being.

“It is a testament to the success of Neighbourhood Watch in Nottinghamshire that it continues to grow every year. We are extremely grateful to Neighbourhood Watch members for the role they play in making Nottinghamshire a safer place and I would urge more communities to consider setting up a group in their area.”

To find your nearest Neighbourhood Watch scheme or get information about setting one up in your area, visit the NottsWatch website at www.nottswatch.com