NORWAY – The Police Department could triple in size overnight if residents agree that crime prevention can be more successful when neighbors and police form a partnership.

“We’re going to test the waters to see if there’s interest,” said police Chief Robert Federico of his desire to start a Neighborhood Watch program in this community of about 5,000 year-round residents.

A Neighborhood Watch meeting will be held in the Norway Town Hall’s large meeting room at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The purpose of the meeting will be, in part, to create awareness of the program, organize residents, identify neighborhood and community issues of concern and develop strategies to resolve them, said Federico, who has seen the program successfully implemented in other Maine communities.

“You need the people to help to be successful,” he said. “I have seven officers. With this we could triple the force to 21.”

The Neighborhood Watch program was developed about 30 years ago by the National Sheriff’s Association as a way to help reduce crime. Recently, the program has been updated through a Neighborhood Watch Toolkit, funded through a Department of Justice federal grant. It provides formal training for officers, block captains and community volunteers using up-to-date technology. Federico and the department’s detective, Gary Hill, have already undergone training.

Federico said he hopes the neighborhoods, such as a mixed neighborhood of farming and summer residents off Crockett Ridge Road, will combine forces to organize a neighborhood watch. Another area containing two blocks from Cottage to Pleasant streets might be a second Neighborhood Watch area, he said.

The number of neighborhoods involved and the number of block captains is only limited by the level of interest, he said.

Federico said the block or neighborhood captains will work with the neighborhood volunteers and local law enforcement on issues directly related to their neighborhood to create a sense of safety and well-being.

For example, the group may target the problem of car vandalism, an issue that rises every so often in Norway and other communities and can have a devastating effect on a large number of victims in a short period of time. Speeding is another high-visibility crime that affects most neighborhoods.

“I think it can be a positive thing for the community,” he said.

Anyone interested in learning more about the program should attend Wednesday night’s meeting or phone the Police Department at 743-5303 for more information.