Neighborhood Watch was born in the United States between 1960 and 1970. At the beginning of the 1980s it arrived in Europe and in 2009 it also became a reality in Italy. The activity of the ‘territorial sentinels’ has now spread widely. The presence of Neighborhood Control groups is indicated by special signs which aim to communicate to anyone that their presence will not go unnoticed and that the neighborhood is attentive and aware of what is happening within their area. Neighborhood Control groups have also been active for years in the four municipalities of the Terre d’Argine. “With us the presentation of the project took place at the end of 2015, shortly afterwards the first group was formed in the hamlet of San Martino Secchia di Carpi – explains Massimo Cartelli, 54 years old, one of the coordinators of the project, as well as head of the Neighborhood Control Association delle Terre d’Argine -. Overall there are 121 groups in the area: 63 in Carpi, 17 in Campogalliano, 14 in Novi di Modena, 27 in Soliera, managed in total by 169 coordinators and vice-coordinators, of which 94 are operational in Carpigiano. The families who have joined the Neighborhood Control are 3976 in the whole Union, of these 2396 in Carpi, 341 in Campogalliano, 461 in Novi and 778 in Soliera To be part of the Neighborhood Control, you must participate in one of the training evenings that we organize in the area together with the police. During the meeting, information such as those to avoid putting yourself in a dangerous situation is given and taught to make detailed reports to the police. At the end, a badge with the logo is issued.”
“Those who want to join, but cannot participate in person, can go to the website www.cdvterredargine.it and follow the training video course with final test and certificate of participation. Then, those who want can also ask to have a plastic sign to display outside their home to indicate that that person is part of the Neighborhood Control. The presence of the areas where the ‘sentinels’ of the territory are active is also reported by the administration through specific signs. The operation of the Neighborhood Control provides for the self-organization among citizens to control the area around their homes and surrounding areas in order to discourage illegal behavior such as theft, scams and vandalism or identify vulnerabilities that can facilitate the perpetrators of illegal acts. Participation and trust between neighbors are fundamental for creating a climate of safety among residents, especially among vulnerable people, such as the elderly and children. Communications between group members take place via What’s app. In emergency situations, whoever sees the problem first alerts the police and then communicates it to the group. Furthermore, we have created a Neighborhood Watch network with other municipalities neighboring our Union”.
In addition to a widespread presence of the ‘sentinels’ of the territory, in 2017 the ‘Sportello Sicuri Insieme – Neighborhood Control’ was born in Carpi, with headquarters in via Tre February 2 /c (at the Local Police), open on Tuesdays from 6pm to 7pm and Saturday from 10am to 12pm. For more information you can call 366 336 9468 or send an email to [email protected].
“With the ‘Sportello Sicuri Insieme’ – concludes Cartelli – in the Municipalities of the Terre d’Argine it was decided to allocate a fund for the victims of predatory crimes intended for partial or total compensation for the material damage caused to the home or appurtenances , from break-ins or attempted theft, or for the duplication of documents or stolen keys. All the details are available on the website www.cdvterredargine.it”.
