Peers and prejudice: Neighbourhood Watch in Europe

Chapter 6 examines the harms and controversies associated with Neighbourhood Watch in Germany, Austria, Spain and the UK. The chapter explains Neighbourhood Watch practices in each country, how these processes are formally governed and how potential harms arise. Neighbourhood Watch arrangements are peer-to-peer surveillance practices initiated by groups of citizens to counter criminal and undesirable behaviour and to improve the quality of life in their local area. Where the police’s role is clear, such as in the UK, Neighbourhood Watch can be understood as a low-cost extension to their community policing role. By contrast, in Austria, Germany and Spain there are greater frustrations and an avowed lack of police support for Neighbourhood Watch-style citizen-led interventions. Neighbourhood Watch points to the securitisation of communities and everyday life, and its primary controversy relates to the degree to which these practices are perceived to be legitimate and acceptable.