Burglars face being shopped online

Vigilant neighbours will be able to email their local police station about suspected crimes as part of a new Home Office scheme.

A pilot project allowing 62 Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators to hook up online with Lancashire Police goes live today. Sir Alan Sugar, chairman of Amstrad, has given his financial backing to E-Watch, which will incorporate over 500 co-ordinators by the end of May. If judged a success it will go nationwide.

Co-ordinators will use Amstrad digital answering machines to send and receive emails and SMS text messages to mobile phones, and to send faxes.

Home Secretary Jack Straw said: "In order to keep pace with the criminal, our communications systems have to keep pace with, and make the most use of, modern technology. Good communications are of vital importance to this process and the E-Watch scheme will help to achieve better interaction between co-ordinators and the police by ensuring near real-time communication."

He added that the use of email would fit very well with the national internet community portal due to be launched in April under the name www.neighbourhoodwatch.net.