THE people who keep an eye out for burglars targeting their neighbours will be under watch themselves in Herefordshire this month.

The 150-plus Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators across the county will be put under the spotlight in a bid to forge closer links with the police and find out how to get more people involved in the scheme.

Each co-ordinator looks after around 10 to 20 houses and is responsible for reporting any suspicious incidents to the police, displaying Neighbourhood Watch street signs and window stickers and making the scheme visible to anyone in the area.

"The whole ethos of Neighbourhood Watch is to be neighbourly and look after the interests of those in your watch by establishing and maintaining contact with the police through the local beat manager, community support officers, or me," said Neighbourhood Watch scheme co-ordinator PC Paul Thompson.

"It is one of the largest voluntary organisations in the country, but we're always looking for more co-ordinators to pick up the reins and create new watches in their area or recruit new members to existing schemes."

The "health check" also aims to get records of schemes up to date and ensure they comply with the Data Protection Act.

Any co-ordinators who have not received information on the check are asked to contact PC Thompson on 08457 444888.