Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch
Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch
From attempted burglaries and vehicle crime to suspicious activity in your local area, a new free feature from Ring is helping neighbours share important safety information, stay informed and look out for one another. And you don’t need a Ring doorbell to use it!
At Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch, we know how important it is for communities to stay connected. Sharing information, reporting suspicious activity and looking out for the people living around us can all play a valuable part in helping to prevent crime.
Now, Ring, the company best known for its video doorbells and home security cameras, has introduced Neighbours by Ring, a free feature within its app that allows residents to share local crime and safety information.
Think of it as a digital neighbourhood noticeboard, where people can alert one another to security concerns and help their community stay informed.
Imagine waking up to discover that someone has tried the handles on cars parked along your street overnight.
You might have captured the incident on your doorbell camera, or perhaps you noticed something unusual while looking out of your window.
Using Neighbours by Ring, you could share an alert with others living nearby, making them aware of what happened and encouraging them to check their own vehicles, secure their belongings and review any relevant CCTV footage.
It’s a straightforward way to get useful information out to people who may otherwise never hear about an incident in their area.
And it’s not just vehicle crime. The feature can be used to share information about a range of local safety concerns, including:
When an alert is posted, people using Neighbours within the relevant local area can receive a notification.
Users can also adjust how far their neighbourhood area extends, so the information they see is relevant to where they live.
Whether that’s a street in Chesterfield, a village in the Peak District or a residential area of Derby, the idea is to help people stay informed about what’s happening close to home.
Another interesting feature is Community Requests.
This allows verified public safety agencies to ask residents in a particular area for information or footage that may be relevant to an investigation.
For example, following an incident, an agency might ask whether anyone nearby has captured useful CCTV or doorbell footage.
Residents can then decide whether they have anything relevant they wish to share.
Importantly, participation is voluntary. Using Neighbours by Ring does not mean that the police or other agencies automatically have access to your cameras or recordings.
You remain in control of what you choose to share.
No, and that’s one of the great things about this feature!
Neighbours by Ring is free to use, even if you don’t own a Ring product.
All you need is a compatible smartphone and the Ring app.
You can read local safety updates, receive notifications and contribute information without buying a camera or paying for a subscription.
If you already use Ring, the Neighbours feature is available within your existing app.
Although crime prevention and community safety are key parts of Neighbours by Ring, there’s another feature that may interest local residents.
Ring has also introduced Search Party for Dogs, working with Dogs Trust, to help reunite missing dogs with their owners.
Residents can post alerts about missing pets, while participating outdoor Ring cameras can check saved footage for possible sightings using AI technology.
If a possible match is found, the camera owner receives a notification and can choose whether to share the footage.
The automated camera search requires participating cameras to have saved video history through a Ring subscription, and currently an active Ring device is needed to start a Search Party.
It’s another example of how neighbours can use technology to help one another.
Getting started is simple:
You can also manage your notifications and the information you choose to share.
At Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch, we believe that strong communities are an important part of crime prevention.
When neighbours know one another, communicate and share reliable information, it becomes easier to recognise concerns, take sensible precautions and support those who may have been affected by crime.
Neighbours by Ring is another tool that residents can choose to use alongside their existing Neighbourhood Watch schemes.
However, it’s important to remember that posting about a crime or suspicious incident on an app is not the same as reporting it to the police.
If you witness a crime or have information about criminal activity, please report it to Derbyshire Constabulary. Call 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-emergency matters.
We would also encourage members to share information responsibly. Stick to the facts, avoid speculation or unfounded accusations, and respect other people’s privacy when posting photographs or footage.
Technology is not a replacement for good neighbours, but it can give us another way to stay connected and help keep our communities informed.
And sometimes, a simple alert shared at the right time can encourage someone else to take that extra security precaution.
Interested in learning more about how it works?
You can find full details about Neighbours by Ring, including its safety features, privacy controls and how to get started, on Ring’s official website.
Find out more about Neighbours by Ring here
This article has been independently prepared by Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch to inform members about community safety tools. Neighbours by Ring is operated by Ring and is not affiliated with Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch.
