Neighbourhood Watch

Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is a community-based crime prevention program which aims to improve the quality of life within a neighbourhood by minimising preventable crime and promoting closer community ties. The program relies on the community and the police working together in a partnership.

Victoria Police started the first Neighbourhood Watch pilot program in Victoria in 1983. It started here when it was realised that the Victoria Police alone could not control the rising crime rate, in particular, the high number of burglaries and related thefts. Police sought public support to help reduce these crimes and decided to pilot a Neighbourhood Watch program with the Kananook community (a suburb of Frankston) in 1983. The success of this pilot saw the NHW program expand to other areas in 1984.

Below are articles that we have published in various editions of Eastsider News over time.

Thank you to Neighbourhood Watch for allowing Eastsider News to use information from their website.

Boroondara Cybercrime Forum

Boroondara Neighbourhood Watch

On Monday 31 March 2025, Boroondara Neighbourhood Watch (BNHW) held its first cybercrime forum.

Boroondara, as a Local Government Area (LGA), ranks as one of the most vulnerable LGAs in the country to cybercrime. Cybercrime is an insidious and pervasive threat, accounting for losses in 2024 in the order of $9.5 trillion USD worldwide and $2 billion AUD in Australia.

People participated both in person or online. The expert panel of speakers included Detective Acting Senior Sergeant John Cheyne from the Victoria Police Cyber Crime Unit; Detective Sergeant Leeanne Trusler from the Boroondara Criminal Investigation Unit; and Kathy Sundstrom and Shona Henderson of IDCARE. IDCARE is a not-for-profit charity that was formed to address a critical support gap for individuals confronting identity and cyber security concerns.

Speakers stressed the importance of staying informed about cyber security. Key messages included some disturbing facts about both the targets and perpetuators of cybercrime. In 2024, the 35 to 44 year old age group reported the most scams to IDCARE. Off-shore syndicates conduct 80% of cybercrimes, exploiting data from social media, scam sites, and emails. Scammers are after your ID documents and credentials to access services and apply for loans.

What can you do to protect yourself

Speakers recommended a range of steps people can take to protect themselves against cybercrime including the following.:

Use IDCARE’s resources available on their website and subscribe to the IDCARE Newsletter for continuous updates and insights.
Follow the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Easy Steps Guide. And check if your information has been jeopardised through Have I Been Pwned.
Be wary of phishing scams that use your data to deceive you. Stay vigilant and report any suspicious emails to Scamwatch. This agency is run by the National Anti-Scam Centre to collect reports about scams to help warn others and to take action to stop scams.
If you suspect your identity information has been misused, it’s wise to periodically check your credit files through credit agencies.

Act swiftly in case of cybercrime

Contact your banking immediately if you suspect cybercrime. Report any incidents to IDCARE and local police. Protect yourself by staying informed and taking proactive measures to secure your digital presence. Your vigilance is your best defence against cyber threats.

For information on BNHW, go to their Facebook page here.

First published in Edition 29, April 2025 of Eastsider News

VicPolice, Neighbourhood Watch and Rotary work together towards a Safer Community.

Glenys Grant

For the past 40 years Neighbourhood Watch has grown in both the city and country areas of Victoria. They are strongly established in 55 Local Government areas, including Neighbourhood Watch Whitehorse (NWW) which has had a steady growth of volunteers, now numbering more than 500. Over the past 30 years, crime reduction rates of 40% or more have occurred in areas that have NHW groups.

What is Neighbourhood Watch?

It is a community-based crime prevention program, aiming to reduce the incidence of preventable crime and provide a safer community for all Victorians. Its vision is to have connected, informed and empowered communities in which people can feel safe and secure.

As Katy Evans, President NWW says ‘We are all about preventing crime through education and motivation, with the assistance of our volunteers and our close association with VicPolice. We meet at a local police station and have Senior Constable Brendan Gogarty, Whitehorse Crime Prevention Officer, on our committee’.

Recent NWW events

A Community Safety Breakfast, co-hosted by the Rotary Club of Nunawading and Whitehorse Business Group was held in late August at the Canterbury International Hotel Forest Hill. Guest speakers were Senior Sergeant Ronald Sinclair APM and Senior Constable Gogarty, Whitehorse Crime Prevention Officer, both from Box Hill Police Station.

The speakers referred to a new Residential Information Kit, compiled and supported by Victoria Police and the Rotary Club of Box Hill. It lists valuable information on personal, house and vehicle safety measures; scams, fraud and dispute prevention; and E-crime security.

They noted that in July there were 118 crimes reported in Whitehorse. A breakup of these statistics included 19% for stolen number plates, most likely to be used in further crimes; 37% of crimes were where a house or car was unlocked; 22% involved property damage; and 64% were thefts from a motor vehicle. Four out of seven aggravated burglaries had cars stolen with their own keys. Two crimes had two cars stolen from the address.

In September, NWW volunteers attended the Blackburn Art and Craft Market run by the Rotary Club of Forest Hill. They spoke with locals about the latest efforts, activities and new initiatives they have introduced for community safety.

At the NWW stand, numerous ways of crime prevention and deterrents were discussed. A large house model was displayed, enabling NWW volunteers to point out to the local market shoppers what are the main vulnerable entry points and safety issues in houses and for cars and garages. A new NHW Whitehorse newsletter, the first to the whole of Whitehorse since Covid, was handed out. Over the past few weeks, it has been delivered to 30,000 homes and local businesses in Whitehorse by volunteers.

The take away message

Support VicPolice and NWW in crime prevention; maybe even help deliver NWW flyers in crime hot spots. Take advantage of the next Safe Plate Day on Saturday November 11, where anti-theft one-way screws are installed to number plates. Above all, keep your home and cars secure.

The Residential Information Kit along with other similar publications can be downloaded here: https://nhw.com.au/prevent-crime/residential-burglary/

Neighbourhood Watch Whitehorse

Neighbourhood Watch is a community based crime prevention program which aims to improve the quality of life within the Whitehorse neighbourhood by minimising preventable crime and promoting a safer community. The program relies on the community and the Police working together in a partnership to achieve these aims.

If you see a crime happening, call Triple Zero (000), if you have information about a crime, please contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.

Neighbourhood Watch Whitehorse is administered by a volunteer Committee which meets monthly and includes Police representation. There are approximately 600 volunteers working within Whitehorse, holding regular meetings, producing newsletters and involved in about 30 field activities throughout the year.

NHW Whitehorse Needs Your Help

We need new people to join the NHW Whitehorse Executive and keep us moving forward. The current Executive Committee have done a fabulous job and achieved a great amount over a number of years, but it is now time for the ‘old’ to step back and the ‘new’ to step up.

We urgently need new Executive Committee members and Coordinators for various activities such as:

Safe Plate Days – 2 or 3 days run each year on a Saturday in association with Victoria Police and Bunnings Vermont South and Box Hill
Annual Community Meeting – a once-a-year gathering of the community to hear from experts in the field of community safety and our local Police

Please email us at whitehorse@nhw.com.au if you think you could assist Neighbourhood Watch Whitehorse with these and many other tasks we undertake throughout the year.

NHW Whitehorse on Facebook

You can visit our Facebook page (#NHWWhitehorse) for up-to-date information on our latest activities and general safety information. Please visit our page – facebook.com/NHWWhitehorse