Neighbourhood Watch was set up in the district in 1982 by Gerald Wallington Hayes MBE
who along with Police Sergeant Woods set the ball rolling. In recent years membership has
fallen away but with a new steering group numbers are on the rise and there appears to be a
keenness to join which has never been seen before.
At 1 in 3, the district has the highest proportion of pensioners in the East of England, and this
gives rise to the greater risk of them being targeted as vulnerable people likely to succumb to
rogue traders. To this end we spend a lot of our time, through our coordinators making sure
all are aware of the scams and cold calling prevalent in the district.
