Hazel Blears MP
MINISTER OF STATE
50 Queen Anne's Gate London SW1H 9AT

Against this background I have become increasing troubled by NNWA's campaign to obtain public funds and to take ownership and control of the Neighbourhood Watch name and logos. The NNWA has the right to make its case, but its campaign has been based on misleading information and unfounded allegations that are very damaging to trust and confidence.

I was particularly alarmed by the contents of the 'Question and Answer Paper' dated 16 June which NNWA sent to all NW Associations. We asked NNWA to circulate a reply that set out the government's position. They refused, and so I decided to write to you directly with the facts so that you can make up your own mind about the situation.

I cannot be sure that this letter will reach everyone who needs to see it so please pass it to other NW members who you think will be interested.

NNWA and Neighbourhood Watch

The NNWA has described itself as the 'head office' of Neighbourhood Watch and gives the impression that it is indistinguishable from Neighbourhood Watch itself. In this way it tries to present its difficulties as though they are difficulties for Neighbourhood Watch as a whole. This is simply not the case.

The NNWA is a small organisation, previously with seven members of staff, now three. It is not involved in the running, control, administration, regulation or funding of local Neighbourhood Watch schemes. There is no requirement that local schemes affiliate to the NNWA and I understand that very many schemes have no dealings at all with the NNWA.

I make these points to instil a sense of proportion, which has been lacking from the NNWA's campaign, and to emphasise that whatever the NNWA's eventual fate may be Neighbourhood Watch itself will certainly go on.

Funding and Audit

The Home Office has not withdrawn funding from the NNWA. The NNWA has always been a commercially funded organisation, which says on its own website that it "chooses not to receive public funds".

Nevertheless, in early 2003 the NNWA approached the Home Office for help following termination of its contract with Norwich Union. Two substantial grants totalling £350,000 were provided and officials encouraged NNWA to improve its financial management, particularly to reduce its high running costs and to live within its means.

NNWA said it would not cut back on its cost base but would concentrate on its commercial activities. We offered a further grant of £200,000, mostly to be used for the benefit of local schemes. This was subject to an audit that the NNWA really was viable.

Despite their claims to the contrary, the auditors did consult NNWA management during the audit. NNWA were interviewed and provided the financial information contained in the report including information about the financial shortfalls. The audit revealed that very large deficits were forecast and the Home Secretary decided that it would not be right to provide further public funds.

I would also like to state categorically that the decision to refuse further funding was not made until after the report had been completed.

NNWA have copies of the audit and we would welcome them providing it to local associations so that you can form your own judgement about its contents.

The Neighbourhood Watch Logos

The Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch name and logos are universally recognised as symbols of citizens and the police working together for community safety. They are valuable public assets and are protected by Crown copyright. We want them to be widely available to all local associations and schemes for all legitimate purposes, including suitable commercial sponsorships so long as this does not detract from their primary focus on community safety.

Following complaints from local associations and a metropolitan police area, we discovered earlier this year that the NNWA had registered the Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch name and logos as its own. This was done without consultation or the agreement of the Home Office, the police or Neighbourhood Watch generally.

Their registration gave NNWA control of the name and logos. It planned to exploit them commercially by branding a very wide range of products for sale to NW members. If this registration is allowed to stand, they alone will decide who can use the name and logos and have the right to prevent local associations from using them. I understand from correspondence that this has begun to happen with the NNWA threatening associations with legal action.

We are now taking action to recover the name and logos to public ownership. NNWA can continue to use the logos as they have in the past, but we are determined to protect the rights of local and regional associations and police forces across the country to continue to use the logos.

The NNWA deal with a major bank

NNWA's allegation that the Home Office timed its objection to the registration of the logos in order to sabotage their deal is wholly false. We raised our objection as soon as local associations told us about it. We could not have raised it sooner because we did not know until then that NNWA had registered the logos as their own without agreement.

We have no wish to stop NNWA's deal. We welcome suitable business partnerships with Neighbourhood Watch and we have made it clear all along that we will give NNWA a licence to use the logos as they did in the past. What we will not agree to is them having ownership or exclusive use of the name and logos because this prevents local associations from using them. We will also not agree to endorsement of unsuitable products or NW members being pestered with cold calling and junk mail.

Incidentally, the NNWA's widely publicised forecast of the profits that will flow from this deal do not correspond to figures they supplied to us for the audit report; nor do they mention the share of profits that will go to the marketing company with which they are partners in their joint venture with the bank.

Public liability insurance

I give an unequivocal undertaking that government will provide cover in the event that NNWA ceases to provide it, and equally to schemes or associations that are not affiliated to NNWA.

Government and Neighbourhood Watch

The NNWA has accused the Home Office of trying to 'take over' Neighbourhood Watch and run it from Whitehall.

I would like to reassure you that there is no question whatsoever of government trying to control or dictate to local NW schemes. What NNWA call government 'take over' is simply increased government support intended to enable the development of NW at local level. We have thought for some time that more needed to be done to help NW and earlier this year we commissioned researchers from the Urbecon Crime and Safety Unit to look into what we should do.

Urbecon will shortly be consulting associations and others about the future of Neighbourhood Watch and we will take full account of what you have to say. In the meantime, let me just tell you about some of the main ideas:

A new Neighbourhood Watch website and telephone helpline providing advice, best practice information, links to other voluntary organsiations, crime prevention tool kits, subscriber updates and a co-ordinators' discussion forum.

A national network or forum for Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators to come together with police and local authority staff to meet and share ideas. This would ensure more effective communication, partnership working, exchange of good practice and training resources.

More integration of Neighbourhood Watch activities with other community issues, especially anti-social behaviour, environmental matters and care for the elderly and vulnerable.

New ideas to extend Neighbourhood Watch into high crime areas and to get more involvement of young people and black and minority ethnic people.

I am sorry this is quite a long letter, but It is important you know the facts. Having heard them I hope that you will exert what influence you can to call a halt to NNWA's misleading and damaging campaign so that we can look to the future. In that regard I shall be meeting them myself later this month.

Finally, thank you again for all your excellent work on behalf of Neighbourhood Watch and I look forward to seeing you at the national conference for Neighbourhood Watch that we shall be holding next Spring.

HAZEL BLEARS MP