Allotment Watch at Eden Allotment Gardens
The Eden Allotment Watch scheme covers the Eden Allotment Gardens area and works in partnership with:
- Eden Allotment Holders Association
- Carrickfergus Borough Council
- Police Service of Northern Ireland
- District Policing Partnership
- Community Safety Partnership
Our allotment watch co-ordinator is Ian Keatley at D21(a).
The aim of this scheme is to identify potential problems for allotments owners and those tending allotments, to come up with ways of reducing these problems and to make life difficult for those who cause them.
The kind of problems and issues considered are:
- Assaults
- Vandalism
- Theft
- Damage
- Suspicious or bogus callers
- Crime trends
- Personal safety
- Burglary of premises
- Vehicle crime
- Cycle theft
- Tool and equipment theft
Information and initiatives are based around the Eden Allotment Gardens area. Co-ordination of the scheme is through the Eden Allotment Holders Association. Eden Allotment Watch members and supporters receive regular newsletters and flyers on crime prevention and community safety matters.
The aims and objectives of the scheme are:
To Prevent Crime:
- By improving security
- By increasing and encouraging vigilance
- By protecting the most vulnerable members of the neighbourhood by creating and maintaining a caring community
- By reducing levels of theft
- By working with other Watch Groups to resolve community issues and crime
To Assist Police in Detecting Crime:
- By promoting effective communication
- By the prompt reporting of suspicious and criminal activity
To Reduce Crime and the Fear of Crime:
- By utilising "people power"
- By providing accurate information about risks
- By promoting a sense of security and community spirit
The Eden Allotment Watch scheme is linked into the work of Neighbourhood Watch who can assist in looking out for the security of premises and reporting suspicious activity. Dog walkers and passers-by can also receive cards to carry with information on who to call when dealing with incidents on the allotment site.