Neighbourhood watch messaging groups are part of an already pervasive phenomenon in The Netherlands, despite having only recently emerged. In many neighbourhoods, street signs have been installed to make passers-by aware of active neighbourhood surveillance. In messaging groups (using WhatsApp or similar communication apps), neighbours exchange warnings, concerns, and information about incidents, emergencies, and (allegedly) suspicious situations. These exchanges often lead to neighbours actively protecting and monitoring their streets, sending messages about suspicious activities, and using camera-phones to record events. While citizen-initiated participatory policing practices in the neighbourhood can increase (experiences of) safety and social cohesion, they often default to lateral surveillance, ethnic profiling, risky vigilantism, and distrust towards neighbours and strangers. Whereas the use of messaging apps is central, WhatsApp neighbourhood crime prevention (WNCP) groups are heterogeneous: they vary from independent self-organised policing networks to neighbours working with and alongside community police. As suggested by one of our interviewees, this can lead to citizens “actually doing police work,” which complicates relationships between police and citizens. This paper draws on interviews and focus groups in order to examine participatory policing practices and the responsibilisation of citizens for their neighbourhood safety and security. This exploration of actual practices shows that these often diverge from the intended process and that the blurring of boundaries between police and citizens complicates issues of accountability and normalises suspicion and the responsibilisation of citizens.

中文翻译：

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当公民“实际在做警察工作”时：荷兰WhatsApp邻里预防犯罪小组的边界模糊

尽管最近才出现，但是邻居监视消息传递组是荷兰已经普遍存在的现象的一部分。在许多社区中，已经安装了路牌，以使路人意识到社区的主动监视。在消息传递组（使用WhatsApp或类似的通信应用程序）中，邻居交换警告，问题以及有关事件，紧急情况和（据称）可疑情况的信息。这些交流经常导致邻居积极地保护和监视他们的街道，发送有关可疑活动的消息，并使用照相手机记录事件。尽管附近居民采取的公民参与式警务做法可以提高（经验）安全性和社会凝聚力，但他们通常会默认进行横向监视，种族概况，风险警惕，不信任邻居和陌生人。邮件应用程序的使用非常重要，而WhatsApp社区预防犯罪（WNCP）群体却是多种多样的：从独立的自组织警务网络到与社区警察一起工作或与社区警察并肩工作的邻居，都有所不同。正如我们的一位受访者所建议的那样，这可能导致公民“实际从事警察工作”，这使警察与公民之间的关系更加复杂。本文利用访谈和焦点小组，以研究参与式警务实践以及公民对其邻里安全和保障的责任。