ONE of the oldest and finest of Jersey’s traditions is honorary service. It might no longer be the driving principle in the States, but it remains a highly significant force at parochial level, involving a great many Islanders who give up their time and make substantial efforts to serve the community for no monetary reward.

Some would say that the present level of non-professional involvement in helping to maintain law and order is sufficient. This, however, is not a view espoused by, at the very least, one of those non-professionals, St Brelade Centenier Steve Pallett.

Centenier Pallett is offering full support for a neighbourhood watch scheme which has been launched in his parish. He is also one of the principal contacts for individuals involved in the scheme who have incidents to report to the authorities.

The Centenier, who visited Hampshire to see how neighbourhood watch initiatives work, is at pains to point out that the St Brelade scheme is no ‘snoopers’ charter. It is, he says, about neighbourly behaviour and making people feel safer in their homes.

There will, no doubt, be criticism of the new watch system – which was launched on the recommendation of the States police – but it is surely difficult to reject the eminently reasonable idea that ordinary people should assume some responsibility for the safety and security of the places in which they live. Being vigilant and, when necessary, reporting crime or potential crime to the police, honorary or paid, amounts to good citizenship.

At present, the Belle Vue area of St Brelade is at the centre of the ‘Report it and reduce it, or leave it and live with it’ initiative. This is because residents have had to put up with problems that have included under-age drinking and rowdy behaviour by groups of young people. That said, there is no reason to suppose that similar schemes should not be launched in other parts of the Island plagued by public order problems.

But it must be emphasised that the neighbourhood watch idea can never be a licence for ordinary members of the public to take the law into their own hands. Those who participate in watch programmes are there to do exactly that – and also to report what they have seen. Ideally, participants will be seen not only as extra sets of eyes and ears for the police but also as guardians of the communities in which they live.