The news that a growing number of Selma citizens are interested in banding together to form Neighborhood Watch programs is welcome. This action may do more to deter crime than anything else.

Why are Neighborhood Watch programs so effective and important? First, because of the sheer numbers. If two police officers are patrolling an area and they have no participation from area residents, only two people are watching over that neighborhood.

If 10 citizens are assisting those officers, then the number of people concerned about that neighborhood has increased six fold. It is less likely for crime to occur where so many eyes watching and reporting what is happening.

Second, a strong Neighborhood Watch program sends out a message that criminals don’t want to hear. Citizens are saying they will not lose this fight. They will not stand for their belongings to be taken.

They will not live in fear. They will do what it takes to maintain their property values and protect their neighborhoods.

Criminals do not have the willpower to outlast a group of organized and dedicated citizens. That’s why they are criminals. It is simply easier for them to move to an unprotected neighborhood.

We fully encourage the Neighborhood Watch meetings that are being led by Selma city council members. We encourage attendance at these meetings and we hope the meetings result in concrete measures that deter crime.

The Neighborhood Watch groups need to form their own patrols in which citizens drive the streets and report unusual activity to police. They need to work closely with police and communicate any and all suspicious activity.

Neighborhood Watch programs are working all over the nation. When a community is able to lower its crime rate police always say the cooperation of citizens is what made it possible.

At times we may feel helpless about crime, but the truth is we have so much control over our own destiny on this issue. All we have to do is care and get involved and we will get the results we seek.