Watch Groups (WGs) are self-mobilised citizen-led groups who perform policing and surveillance functions in response to possible security shortfalls. Our project studies different groups to examine the range, foci, and activities of those currently operating in the UK.
The project specifically focuses on the overlapping influences of digital technologies and economic and political climates when creating a watch group. We also want to better understand the capacities of these groups and how they reflect upon the impacts of their activities.
Our work will be the first of its kind to engage directly with WGs, as most existing knowledge comes from journalistic investigations, with a dearth of academic enquiry on this theme. As a result, many discussions of WGs tend towards sensationalism and their activities and impacts remain poorly documented and understood. It is our intention to bring together concepts from criminology, sociology and digital media studies in furthering work in this area.