The Thames Valley Neighbourhood Watch Association was officially launched by James Elles, MEP for Berkshire, Buckingham and Oxfordshire, at Thames Valley Police HQ in Kidlington.

Val McPherson, chairman of the new association, said: "The aim of launching this new association is to develop stronger links and structures for Neighbourhood Watch across the three counties of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

"It will also help us to develop best practice and working relationships with the police and all other relevant organisations which are involved in making communities better and safer places in which to live."

The first part of the ceremony saw the four members of the executive committee sign the constitution and this was followed by speeches from James Elles MEP, Chief Supt John Liversidge and Christine Weston, chairman of the Thames Valley Police Authority.

Chief Supt Liversidge said: "In April this year we completed the roll out of neighbourhood policing, so that now every neighbourhood in the Thames Valley has its own policing team. Now the emphasis is very much on the teams building important links within their community.

"One of the key links is with local Neighbourhood Watch schemes, which play a crucial role in supporting the work of the neighbourhood teams. I feel this new Thames Valley wide association will give a new impetus to Neighbourhood Watch in the area as well as helping to foster closer links with the police and hopefully lead to many more schemes being established across the Force."

The event came at the end of Neighbourhood Watch week, during which a brand new national Neighbourhood Watch website and a volunteers' toolkit, jointly funded by the Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), was launched.

The toolkit is designed to provide support, training and guidance for around four million UK households that are members of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. For more information, please visit www.mynhw.co.uk