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Mobile Neighbourhood Watch

 Neigbourhood surveillance by people living on mobile homes
  (+6)
(+6) 		  [vote for,
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I live in New Zealand and have done a lot of traveling with mobile home. I do not use expensive caravan parks but freedom camp and spend my nights on my van in cities, national parks, beaches, suburban streets, or where ever convenient and I feel safe enough.

Read ahead, I get to the point soon enough...

A lot of places I have stayed have signs of unwanted behaviour by several undesirable groups or individuals. Like vandalism, graffiti, gay toilet meetings, boy racing, drinking and drug use, dumping rubbish or other illegal activity. Lot of places with natural or man made beauty are being destroyed by abovementioned activities.

Lot of this activity would not happen if there is a presence of watchful eyes who can report any suspect behaviour to the authorities.

So my proposal to the authorities like City Councils, Police, National Park management etc, is to allocate designated spots for people travelling on self contained motorhomes, who can stay a night or two, keep on eye of the area and report any suspect behaviour to the Police or other associated authority.

These Mobile Parkwatch people need to register with Police and of course have no criminal record. They would get personal ID and sticker or sign to show on their windscreen. They would stay on the area on their own risk and would not intervene in case of crime but report to the authorities.

No money would change hands but Mobile Parkwatch Scheme would be mutually beneficial to all parties involved and would reduce crime in the area.

Mobile Parkwatch volunteers would be allocated with designated parking spot near the amenities and would have possibly hookups for water, waste and electricity. These spots would be free, first in first served basis and possibly just 2 spots per area.

This Mobile Parkwatch system could be adopted in any country and adapted to the local conditions.

Here in New Zealand Freedom Camping Policy varies between the regions and many of them turn the blind eye knowing that many of those people, mainly elderly couples in their 100 000 dollar self contained motorhomes, are not there to cause any trouble or make a nuisance of themselves so they are unofficially welcome to stay.

You could say that Mobile Parkwatch is partly baked, I found several Park Watch concepts on the Net but the fact that volunteers would stay in the area on their mobile homes is probably not baked?

—Pellepeloton, Oct 07 2006

[link]






       So it's a reserved parking spot in return for calling the police to report crime?
—augusta, Oct 07 2006
   

       Something of a portable neighbourhood watch.
—fridge duck, Oct 07 2006
   

       //So it's a reserved parking spot in return for calling the police to report crime?//   

       Not quite, these PW parking places would be mainly for overnighting and times would be set by the council. Maybe from dusk till dawn or 9 PM to 9 AM? During daytime the usual parking charges for the area would apply.   

       The whole idea of this mobile neighbourhood watch would be that at least one of the Mobile Parkwatch people would be in their vehicles at any time. Having two spots would mean that other couple could leave their vehicle for short visits to supermarket etc.   

       Reporting crime would be not in return for the parking spot but a duty for every law abiding citizen. The presence of watchfull eyes is often enough to deter possible crime.
—Pellepeloton, Oct 07 2006
   

       Might work [+]
—augusta, Oct 07 2006
   

       "boy racing"   

       Is this like dog racing, but with the mechanical rabbit replaced with a mechanical skin mag?
—Galbinus_Caeli, Oct 09 2006
   

       I've seen something much like this in American parks. It's a good idea.
—baconbrain, Oct 09 2006
   

       Boy Racing in New Zealand is activity mainly by teenage boys using their cars to do burnouts, race with other cars on the street, create a lot of noise, sometimes leave behind junkfood rubbish and bottles. Anything to try to impress the girls. Teenagers get their drivers licence when they are 15 in New Zealand, 3 years too early if you ask me. I did my share of boyracing with mates back in the 80's so I am guilty of creating havoc myself. I did not own a pimped high powered car as they do now but had a just tiny Datsun Cherry with 1.2 litre engine. It was fast enough for me.
—Pellepeloton, Oct 10 2006
   

       Getting live observers in the park very cheaply is a good idea.   

       Park Gates with pin numbers, Cameras real and fake, Spike strips and speed bumps, neighborhood watch signs, random patrols by sheriff volunteers can make a park much less attractive to joy riders and thieves.
—popbottle, Jan 05 2017
   

       Presuming it's battery powered, not wind up?
—not_morrison_rm, Jan 06 2017
   
      
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