Braintree District
Interested in being part of Neighbourhood Watch where you live in Braintree District ?
Then why not join Us!
Contact us at [email protected].
Braintree District has a very active Neighbourhood Watch, with frequent events and initiatives all aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime throughout the district.
Braintree District NW distributes FREE Window stickers, wheelie bin stickers, No Cold caller stickers , street signs, promotional pens, and Essex County Neighbourhood Watch Members guides and valid Essex NW badges , 24 hour timers and much more....
UPDATE AS AT MAY 2025
On the 30th April we held our Annual General Meeting which was very well supported and re-elected for another year were:- Clive Stewart Chairman & Treasurer, Simon Attwood Deputy Chairman and Louise Smith Secretary . All the Steering Group current members were willing to remain for another year including our new Membership Secretary John Hedges and we were delighted to welcome Richard Hill , Moia Thorogood and Ian Johnson to the Group. We only meet every three/four months but I keep in touch with everyone regularly..
Our AGM guest speaker was Essex Police Commander Sarah Wright who was brilliant….
Clive Stewart’s Chairman’s report mentioned that we still see members of the community registering with Neighbourhood Watch Network (NWN) which is fine and I see their details as I have access to the NWN database . However when John Hedges contacts them sadly on many occasions we never hear from them at all….It makes us wonder what people think Neighbourhood Watch is all about..NWN covers England and Wales with excellent information but never local NW information..( It is called “Neighbourhood Watch” for a purpose…)
Neighbourhood Watch Members of the year 2025 .Awards were presented to Judy Hill, Ian Johnson and Mike Smith all of whom have been involved with Neighbourhood Watch in Braintree District for over twenty years!!!!
Neighbourhood Watch activities in recent months..We attended a few Braintree District Council events with Judy Hill and Richard Hill managing two and Simon Attwood attending two of which one was at a Parish Council..and I gave a talk to over 60’s at Bures ..Where we have a very pro-active Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator…
Weekly and six monthly newsletters..The weekly newsletter it is a summary of the Braintree Essex Police crime report that we receive from Terry Fowles Essex Watch Liaison Officer ..This is very welcome by all who receive it and is in its 16th year every single week by email …We have a six monthly newsletter which the print run has increased due to so many wanting to deliver copies to their members locally and also neighbours too..and there is an email version too this is also in its 16th year .
Finances..n the past year we had extra funding available from Braintree District Council for Safer Streets Campaign in Halstead which helped to increase membership and we will have £500 to match for Safer Streets campaign in Braintree for 2025/26 ..Our main funding is from Essex County NW Association of £1,000 a year which is the funds from The Police Fire & Crime Commissioner’s Office for Neighbourhood Watch in Essex..
We are determined to reduce the opportunity of crime in Braintree District so if you would like to assist or just want information, please send an email to Clive Stewart, our Chairman on [email protected].
Active Citizens
We have volunteered to participate in "Active Citizens" which is distributing crime prevention information throughout Braintree District accompanied by Essex Police. If you would like more information contact Clive Stewart, Chairman. Active citizens are also beginning to get involved in a variety of roles to help the police such as the Restorative Justice programme
Essex Neighbourhood Watch Association
Our hard working chairman, Clive also chairs the meetings of the Essex Neighbourhood Watch Association, That means that he has to write a report of Braintree's recent activities for the Association meeting.
REPORT TO ECNWA FOR MEETING ON 12TH AUGUST 2025
NEW WEEKLY CRIME REPORTS
Yes we all agree the reports are not very useful for Neighbourhood Watch members if we are to be the “eyes and ears” for Essex Police. The basic minimum is not very helpful to encourage more members either.. So in the weekly newsletter ( it is a Neighbourhood Watch newsletter which was created 16 years ago ), in addition to the limited information on the crime reports, I am publishing crime information which I receive from Essex Police Braintree Dispatch newsletters and also what Essex Police publish on Braintree Facebook Groups. As not all members of the communities subscribe to Dispatch newsletters or use facebook and the details are very very useful…This helps a little to give to all those who receive the newsletter some information on local crime but also there are details of whom commit crimes and have been arrested and sentenced .In fact I have received many compliments on publishing such information…
In addition , with Stuart Rawlins ( Crimestoppers Volunteer Chair Essex ) permission I have created a column which includes regular information on Crimestoppers provided by Stuart …Again this is interesting too for NW members …..
I will say ..finally on this matter ..that I have had a few comments about the lack of basic crime information on the new crime reports ( in response to my giving reasons for the crime reports in that format ) ..but not one resignation…The reason, I think , is that I am explaining ( every week) what we are doing such as having regular meetings and communications with Essex Police in the hope that they ( Essex Police ) will be able to add more meaningful details on to automated reports soon.
I have mentioned the meeting on 28th August. So most of you know I did not send out the new crime reports in the new format …In fact I never have done so in the sixteen years as I summarise the information in a newsletter But I did explain why it has changed and prepared them for it a week earlier…SIX MONTHLY NEWSLETTER JULY to DECEMBER 2025: The latest newsletter had been emailed out to all on the Braintree District NW database when I requested who was willing to distribute them and how many copies they needed on top of their sending the email version to their members….For the second six monthly issue in 2025 the response was amazing with more people wanting hard copies to distribute than before . So those who requested them had them delivered to their door ( no need to go anywhere to collect them ) .
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP This is increasing on a regular basis . Yes every week due to Co-ordinators and members advising everyone of Neighbourhood Watch However I still see those who register with NWN ( no problem with that ) and have a Membership Secretary who makes contact with them to introduce to them what we offer on local Neighbourhood Watch…IF we do not hear from them ( after a reasonable time ) I do NOT delete them from NWN database..but move them out of the Braintree District scheme ( if they have “joined it” ) and leave them alone. They are notified by NWN of this action by the way…..So if they were keen to remain in Braintree District scheme then they would reply to our Welcoming” email ..but we never hear from them again.
FINANCE Yes we have received the £1,000 from The Police Fire & Crime Commissioner’s Office via ECNWA..and these funds are used to purchase any NW items ie wheelie bin stickers and No Cold Caller stickers and cover postages and printing of the six monthly newsletters and couriers to deliver them .
SAFER STREETS CAMPAIGN WITH BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL We have joined BDC on this campaign and have ringfenced £250 towards it which is being matched by BDC ..this covers any activities during the next at least ten months…
SUMMARY So, in general , a successful three months..apart from the fact of the crime reports ..but they are still weekly!!
I know from emails that many like to know, who live in Braintree District, there is someone they can contact regarding Neighbourhood Watch….
Clive Stewart Braintree District NW Chairman 16TH August 2025
Tel 0750 8057636
Email [email protected]