Community, crime & the power of togetherness

“Community is much more than belonging to something; it’s about doing something
together that makes belonging matter” Brian Solis

Community spirit. Does it still exist?
It’s fair to say it’s probably not as strong as it once was.  I remember my old gran telling me how she’d ‘pop next door for the occasional cup of sugar, which seem now to be a distant memory. In some neighbourhoods, I’m sure you’re lucky to get a grunted ‘hello’ in the morning! I feel lucky to say, as I’m writing this, that isn’t the case in mine… But whilst community spirit might be dwindling, (and with apologies to Mark Twain “rumours of its death have been exaggerated.” Just look at what happened during the COVID-19 lockdown… In the midst of isolation, doorstep chats suddenly became the new normal. People were running errands for their elderly neighbours, and you greeted the postman like he was your long-lost best friend! Has this neighbourly camaraderie lasted? I guess that depends on who you speak to…

According to one poll, 58% of people have now reverted to their old ways – going days or weeks without speaking to their neighbours. And just 7% of those questioned said they felt ‘very connected’ to their local population. So, it was great to see local people coming out in force to make their voices heard in last week’s general election. From village halls and scout huts to mobile libraries and museums, local landmarks turned polling stations served as a poignant reminder of the cohesive power and importance of community. Of course, there are times when tight-knit communities can become, dare I say it, a little too
involved..!

I had to laugh when my colleague Scott recounted the story of coming home from work, only to have the local mayor knock on the door to inform him that he knew he hadn’t voted yet… Talk about Big Brother… I don’t think the Mayor is using our CCTV Room!!!
All joking aside, fostering a strong community is critical if we want to instigate meaningful change. And I’m not just talking about bin collections and library opening hours. Community can also play a huge role in combating local crime. It’s one of the reasons why schemes like Neighbourhood Watch are still effective. As well as helping to cut crime and improve local relations with the police, they encourage neighbourliness and foster community spirit.

Be it in a residential neighbourhood or a bustling town centre, community and crime are inextricably linked. Build the former and you can tackle the latter. I’ve been championing the idea of a community approach to retail security for decades – long before similar schemes came into existence. As far back as the late 1990s, I was lobbying my local town council to implement a communal security initiative. The idea was simple, but I’m confident it would have been effective: retailers in the area paid into a pot, and as plain-clothes store detectives, my team and I patrolled the whole town centre.

As a business, that community mentality has always been central to our ethos. And it will continue to guide our efforts as we work to enhance the safety and security of our customers.
Because as Helen Keller put it, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
James Haigh is Managing Director at Advantage One, a trusted leader in the field of security services.