Police welcome newly-formed Neighbourhood Watch in Shrewsbury suburb

About 100 people have signed up to the initiative, which covers the Bowbrook Meadows and Darwin's Walk area north of Radbrook.

The scheme aims to reduce the rate of crime by offering advice to residents and implementing various crime prevention methods.

It comes after homeowners reported a number of incidents this year, including jewellery being stolen from a car, trespassers trying to open doors and a BMW being stolen from a drive.

Official figures obtained from Police.uk show West Mercia Police's Shrewsbury Rural North and District boundary, which includes Bowbrook Meadows and Darwin's Walk, saw a 26 per cent rise in reported crime from July 2019 to June 2020.

Safer Neighbourhood Inspector for the area, Saf Ali, confirmed there had been seven burglaries and vehicle crimes reported in Bowbrook Meadows and Darwin's Walk this year.

In response, police have carried out regular patrols in the area to act as a deterrent to thieves and offer reassurance to residents.

Mr Ali said: “I would like to offer my personal reassurance to local residents in Bowbrook Meadows and Darwin’s Walk after a recent article about crime in the area has left many concerned.

“We actively support the work of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the area and are grateful for the steps volunteers are taking to help prevent crime, but we must not let the statistics be taken out of context and I would like to clarify that since the start of the year there have been seven burglaries or vehicle crimes in Bowbrook Meadows and Darwin’s Walk.

“Of course, we know the impact just one burglary can have on our local communities and are not down-playing this. Being broken into can be devastating, especially if sentimental items are stolen, which is why we work tirelessly with local communities and schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch, to help prevent these types of crimes in the first place.

“Over the past few months officers have carried out regular patrols in the area to both act as a deterrent to thieves but also offer reassurance to those residents who may be concerned and I can offer my assurance these patrols will continue.”

Neighbourhood Watch is the largest voluntary crime prevention movement covering England and Wales and is supported by the Home Office.

It has more than 2.3 million members and aims to bring neighbours together to use crime prevention methods in efforts to create a safer community.