The Winnipeg Police Service is announcing the resurrection of the Neighbourhood Watch Program to reduce crime in our city.

The Neighbourhood Watch Program (NWP) is designed to create a partnership between law enforcement and the community to help lower crime rates in Winnipeg. It was first paused around five years ago, and now with funding being provided by the government, it has been revamped and launched again.

With $46,000 being provided by the Manitoba Government through the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund to the WPS Community Relations Division, the NWP has now been revitalized and rebranded.

The funding will allow the WPS to provide tools to the community to increase awareness of when a crime is happening, the best way to report a crime and offer a variety of crime deterrent strategies.

Tonight, Councillor Devi Sharma will host a community presentation at 7 p.m. at Maples Collegiate, Judy Silver Commons (1330 Jefferson Avenue), with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Members of the WPS Community Support Division will also present at the meeting to talk about the benefits of the program and how the community can get involved.

In the upcoming weeks, the WPS will also meet with current Neighbourhood Watch block captains to share support strategies and to highlight how it begins with these captains.

The Neighbourhood Watch Program is free and open to all residents of Winnipeg. More information is available on the WPS Crime Prevention webpage.