HOAs and neighborhood crime prevention provides peace-of-mind and security for its residents and has an impact on property value.
Needless to say, keeping neighborhood crime away from your community is extremely important. Here are some neighborhood safety tips that homeowners’ organizations (HOAs) and other types of neighborhood associations can implement.
Organize Your Community
HOAs can organize activities and opportunities for people in the neighborhood to become familiar with one another. Organizing groups, events, and activities is a fast way to share neighborhood safety tips and get more people interested. Some different ways to involve your community include:
Neighborhood Watch Group
Get residents to actively participate in neighborhood safety through a watch group. Educate members of the watch group on your neighborhood safety protocol and encourage them to keep an eye on each other’s properties and communicate any unusual activity.
Set Up a Private Facebook Group
A private Facebook group specifically for your community is a quick and easy way to share neighborhood safety tips as well as other happenings. Neighbors can get to know each other, ask questions, organize community events, and alert one another in case something suspicious is going on. Other social platforms, such as Nextdoor, provide a way to privately communicate with your neighbors in a certain radius.
Create a Calling Tree
If there is an urgent situation that impacts your neighborhood safety, a calling tree can help pass the information along quickly. There are also smartphone apps that work similarly to a calling tree that might work best for some communities.
Organize Community Volunteer Days
Keeping your communal areas such as parks and green well-maintained is key to keeping them free of crime. If it doesn’t look like these areas are kept up or anyone in the community uses them, then criminals might take advantage of the unused space. Aside from hiring a lawn service to do the heavy work, you can organize a regular “Clean-Up Day” where the community is invited out to help. Share the event on your Facebook group, and organize a potluck or social once it’s done.
Keep Your Neighborhood Safe Around the Clock
Two of the best ways to combat crime in your neighborhood are gated security and neighborhood surveillance. With gated security, you typically need a gate card or code to enter the community. It helps to keep unwanted visitors and random vehicles from driving through your neighborhood. Some gated communities have live security, but a virtual security guard is a highly effective, cost-saving alternative.
A gated community with 24-hour surveillance cameras delivers the most safety and security for your neighborhood. But sometimes gates are not a viable option, especially when there are numerous entry points to the neighborhood. However, strategically placed surveillance cameras can provide 24-hour protection in any type of neighborhood. Surveillance cameras can help to:
- Reduce vandalism and theft risks
- Record any security threats
- Increase property value in the community
- Provide peace of mind and security for residents
Of the neighborhood safety tips, installing outdoor security cameras provides the most protection for your community. Pro-Vigil is the leader in live surveillance. To learn more about their services or for a free quote, contact Pro-Vigil online.
