At 2pm on Sunday, February 20th 2011 the launch of the latest Neighbourhood Watch group took place at the Pompano Beach Club in Southampton. Around 15 area residents gathered for the first meeting; mostly from the Pompano Beach Road, Southampton area but also from the Spring Benny Road, Sandys parish area. [Click on photo to enlarge].

Assisting to launch the Pompano Beach Road/Spring Benny Road Neighbourhood Watch was Police Constable Cerepha Bridgeman from the Western Community Action Team and Sergeant Tirena Rollins from the Crime Prevention Unit. [Back row far right and second from far right respectively].

The residents discussed several issues and areas of concern including:

• Recent burglaries / attempted burglaries
• Theft from unattended vehicles
• Unknown individuals accessing residences via adjacent property

The officers spoke on various topics including:

• Tips for an effective neighbourhood watch
• Residents in the neighbourhood(s) looking out for each other
• Home security tips & general crime prevention advice

At the end of the meeting, the attendees voted to elect a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson & Secretary / Treasurer. They are:

• Chairperson – Ms. Sabrina Kirby
• Deputy Chairperson – Mr. Larry Lamb
• Secretary / Treasurer – Ms. Leslie Robinson

The area residents were presented with their first Neighbourhood Watch sign by PC Bridgeman and Sergeant Rollins and also expressed a desire to include residents from other areas like Woodlawn Road, Sandys parish in their next meeting which is scheduled to take place next month.