De Buurtpreventie WhatsApp-Groep - Een procesevaluatie naar de ervaringen van gebruikers over de WhatsApp-groep

Abstract

Nowadays, citizens are more responsible for their own safety. So, they are increasingly starting citizens’ initiatives to ensure that safety. An example of an initiative that is gaining traction are the ‘neighborhood watch WhatsApp groups’. People can post about unusual events in their neighborhood in these groups. The aim of this study is to learn more about the user experience of the neighborhood watch WhatsApp groups. This led to the following research question: ‘How is the neighborhood watch WhatsApp group perceived by its users?’ The users in this case are both the police and the citizens. In order to answer the research question a qualitative study based on seven semi-structured interviews and 67 newspaper reports has been executed. This study shows that the users of the WhatsApp group perceive it as positive, even though not many criminals got caught with it. The group primarily has a preventative effect, because people are more alert in their environment. So, criminals are deterred by this and commit fewer burglaries. To make the WhatsApp groups even more successful, stricter arrangements must be made about what people should sent to a WhatsApp group in order to keep all users satisfied.