One Galt man hopes to bring back the Neighbourhood Watch

At one time, the neighbourhood watch was as common as the kitchen telephone, but in recent years, both have fallen by the wayside.

A Galt man is working to resurrect the watch after seeing numerous posts on social media from neighbours frustrated by vehicle break-ins and petty property crimes.

Jack D’Angelo told The Mike Farwell Show he reached out to the City of Cambridge and found out there were no neighbourhood watch groups currently active.

“I grew up in this neighbourhood and there were always these neighbourhood watch signs,” he said. “I have heard little bits from people that work for the city that they have been waiting for someone to come forward to do this and they are excited to see how things go.”

D’Angelo said he reached out to Waterloo Regional Police about his idea and for the most part, they have been supportive. He’s hoping to work with police on training strategies to ensure the watch is done in a safe way.

Ultimately, D’Angelo wants to see two block captains per street who can engage with residents and do a daily patrol of the neighbourhood. The captains would then meet regularly to share concerns about what they’ve seen or heard.

He did say he has no intention of people putting themselves in harm’s way.

“In no way do I expect the neighbourhood to put themselves in danger or take-on a vigilante roll, to step in and do something.”

He said he wants to avoid the potential for misinformation, so he intends to avoid social media and rather meet in person or over Zoom.

D’Angelo said his next step is to continue to gather support while he awaits more information from police and the city about what resources will be afforded to his group.

Until then, he’s asking the community to keep an eye out for one another and if they see something, say something.