Neighbourhood Watch signs - AIBU to think they might deter drug dealers?

[NeighbourhoodonWatch]

NC for obvious reasons.

One end of our road has become a drug dealers' area (seen by neighbours). The next road down had someone looking into cars at 4am two nights ago and thefts occurred. These are really quiet one way areas that don't lead anywhere and with nothing opposite so no reason for anyone to be there (ie if you're not there to visit a house there is nothing else here). Between all the neighbours we have an assortment of ring doorbells, dash cams etc but no major security or cctv systems.

I am thinking of buying neighbourhood watch signs and sticking them up in the area.

Do neighbourhood watch signs deter drug dealers? I have heard mixed reviews...

YANBU - if you put signs up they will move on
YABU - you'll be lucky...

(PS if IABU what can we do?!)

They won't. What have drug dealers got to fear from a bunch of curtain twitchers? There's a woodland near us that's absolutely plastered with neighbourhood watch signs on every fence post. It seems to have encouraged them to turn it into their main haunt.

😂😂

Drug dealers don't give a fuck about NHW signs. They probably wouldn't even look twice.

What works? Police. Obvious CCTV cameras. Obvious signs about the existence of the cameras. Lights so the cameras can pick up faces and number plates. People passing by more often.

You and the neighbours need to be reporting it every time you see someone or at least keep notes of descriptions, times, places, people cars etc. Report it online rather than waiting on the phone. Pop into the local police event - coffee morning / meet and greet / bike marking etc to speak to the beat team.

You normally join a neighborhood watch scheme and that way you gave the advantage of named neighbourhood policing officers etc.
Contact your local police station to find out more about it.

I wish you luck my friend.... I live in an area that is rife regarding drug abuse/rehab homes/police turning a blind eye etc. Neighbourhood watch signs, in my experience, do nothing ....

We have a neighbourhood watch sticker on our window. Does nothing to deter drug dealers dealing from the cars outside our house.

@mynameiscalypso You've just reminded me that I have a neighbourhood watch sticker on a porch window which has been there for years.... Its presence actually prevented the window itself from being broken because it sucked up (for want of a better phrase!) the force of a projectile that was thrown at the window in an act of vandalism about twenty years or so ago...

Think you are needing a neighbours effort to increase visibility - sensor lights, Ring cameras, dog walking, cutting down any coverage like big hedges. all the kind of busy and visible stuff that may herd them to a different area.

If I was a drug dealer I don’t think a sticker would put me off tbh…

NHW signs are more likely to get you killed than stop crime. It’s announcing that any neighbour who sees something they shouldn’t, will definitely snitch so that encourages criminals to ensure no witnesses.

In my experience, almost every house in our road had Ring cameras and CCTV pointing into the street from various windows. We also had prominent NW signs up from a long-dormant group.

Made not the slightest bit of difference to the 24/7 open-air crack market that went on for about 3 years, off and on.

What DID make a difference was using the cameras to gather evidence for the local Met Safer Neighbourhoods Team and reporting literally every single example of ASB and dealing, day and night. The cops used it to get some resources in order to come down on local dealers like a ton of bricks. That fixed it - for us at least. The (excellent) SNT leader said the ASB/dealing would unfortunately just move to a nearby area where the residents weren't as organised, observant or as 'settled and invested in making the area nicer' (their words). We also got local councillors involved, who were very helpful.

Alright Big Vern. Calm down.

Are they actually bothering you?

NHW signs are more likely to get you killed

I must have missed the news reports on those murders.

Yes, insofar as it's done openly, in broad daylightin an area with lots of children and then we have also had stealing from cars at night.

Councillors involved, a neighbour has contacted them.