This is how a neighborhood prevention WhatsApp group works in your street

Do you ever see the signs with ‘Attention neighborhood prevention’ in the streets of Zoetermeer? You can also ensure a safer neighborhood with your neighbors by starting a Neighborhood WhatsApp group. In this way you keep each other informed of any suspicious situations and the help of the police can be called in quickly.

About 150 WhatsApp groups are already active in Zoetermeer. That’s quite a few Zoetermeer residents who are committed to our city! But more can be added. Everything for safety, right? Sign up to start a Neighborhood WhatsApp group in your area as well.

This is how you start your Neighborhood Whats App group

Go to the Wabp website (WhatsApp Neighborhood Prevention) and first see which groups are already active in your neighbourhood. Is your street not listed? Then you can go that same website register a new group. You are then the administrator of that group alone or together with a local resident.

Neighborhood prevention sign

To make it clear to the neighborhood and unwanted persons that you keep a close eye on the street and neighbourhood, you can have a sign placed with the text ‘Attention Neighborhood Prevention’. It is also possible to stick a sticker on the front door with the same text. Only the sign and the stickers can already help preventatively, which you can buy via [email protected] or telephone number 14079.

This is how the Neighborhood WhatsApp group works

You can keep each other informed of suspicious situations in the area via WhatsApp. The use of the group app does depend some house rules fixed. For example, it is important to first call 112 before informing the group. The way of communicating is also described and the app group is only intended for messages with a purpose and not as a social platform. It is the administrator’s job to make sure everything runs smoothly.

This is how you become a member of an existing group

Is there an active Neighborhood WhatsApp group in your neighborhood and do you want to join that group? Then search the card in which group your street occurs. Click on the bubble of that group and the contact information of the administrator of the group will appear on the left. Sign up that way.

Red-handed

In Zoetermeer it is project Red-handed power devised in which the police work together with residents to improve safety in the city. The police also work together with the administrators of the Neighborhood WhatsApp groups. The police share alarming messages about a certain neighborhood with the administrator. Those reports can then be shared in the App groups so that even more people can be alert to suspicious situations.

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