Neighbours scheme ‘not snooping’
Neighbours scheme ‘not snooping’
A London council has denied that a plan to recruit residents to report petty crime and anti-social behaviour is a licence to snoop.
Harrow Council wants 2,000 people – one for every 100 residents – to sign up and report problems such as littering and vandalism.
A spokesman said it wanted to restore “old-fashioned community values”.
The human rights body Liberty said: “Civic duty is one thing, but policing is best left to professionals.”
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Holy Stasi Council Batman. Wow 1 in 100 in that council. Plus children as young as seven this year are being recruited, next year it will be toddlers. It’s just so sad to see. The U.K. a once great nation, come to this.
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A London council’s efforts to recruit an “army of snoopers” to report on their neighbours has sparked claims it will lead to suspicion and mistrust.
Harrow LBC wants 2,000 people – one for every 100 residents – to sign up as “neighbourhood champions” to report littering, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and minor crimes.
The “Orwellian” scheme has been condemned by Alex Deane, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch as a bid to get “everyone spying on everyone else. If they’re successful it will lead to even less trust and ever more surveillance”.
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Harrow’s volunteers will log on to a special website to report suspicions. Details will be passed to council departments and enforcement action could be taken against offenders. Participants will be vetted and trained with the help of the police and council. Councillor Susan Hall, Harrow’s spokeswoman for environment services and community safety, said: “This is about extending more influence to our residents to help us deliver cleaner and safer streets.
“We have already invested in anti-social behaviour and cleaning teams, but the reality is that we are not always in a position to know when problems suddenly crop up.
“I believe the Neighbourhood Champions network will help us to deliver cleaner and safer streets. We often talk about the loss of community spirit in our neighbourhoods — I think this is a great way of reclaiming some of that.”
The council said a poll of residents had found 87 per cent backed it and 25 per cent expressed an interest in getting involved. The minimum age for recruits is expected to be 18.
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