SPURRED on by crime rates, a group of residents from the Kiama municipality are calling on the community to help them start a Neighbourhood Watch movement.
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A Neighbourhood Watch Community Information Meeting will take place at Kiama Bowling and Recreation Club on Saturday, July 11 at 2pm.
According to organisers, due to the increasing community interest in forming a Neighbourhood Watch group, a community meeting to explain the program will take place for all interested residents of Kiama, Kiama Downs and Minnamurra.
They invite the public to attend the meeting, where local police will explain the benefits of the program and talk about working together to create a safer community.
Kiama Downs resident and organiser Anne Millard, an administrator on the Kiama Community Page Facebook group, recently told the Kiama Independent they were seeking to start two Neighbourhood Watch groups – one for Kiama central and another for Kiama Downs.
The latest figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show property and theft offences have risen in the Kiama area, with a 40 per cent rise in break and enters, and a 56.7 per cent increase in thefts from motor vehicles in the 24 months to March 2015.
The two Neighbourhood Watch groups would collaborate, but operate separately.
If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to be involved in Neighbourhood Watch, please register your interest by contacting: Terry Beavan (Kiama) on 0412 365 870 or beavan@optusnet.com.au; or Anne Millard (Kiama Downs) on 0411 843 774 or millard.anne@gmail.com.
