By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A group of concerned residents and business owners in the Belle Terre subdivision of LaPlace have begun the process of re-instituting a neighborhood watch program in the wake of a handful of minor criminal disturbances over the past month.

Raj Pannu, president of the Belle Terre Civic Association, said the community is looking to resurrect the program, which had been in effect in the past but fell by the wayside following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The program was discussed at the civic association’s meeting Wednesday.

“We are trying to get residents more involved in what goes on in their neighborhood,” Pannu said. “There have been no major incidents recently, but a few minor incidents have some residents concerned.”

Pannu said in the past few weeks, a pair of air conditioning units were stolen from homes on Augusta Drive, and a home was broken into and a vehicle was also stolen on Spyglass Drive.

“We want to build more communication among the residents,” Pannu said. “Neighborhoods watch out for each other, but we would like to see it consistent throughout.”

Pannu said the Belle Terre Civic Association includes homes from Fairway Drive to St. Andrews Boulevard and has grown recently to include the St. Andrews and Links subdivisions. She said about 1,000 families reside in the area.

Pannu said the civic association has already begun sending out e-mails to residents in an effort to form watch teams. She said the program looks to have at least five residents on each of the neighborhood’s 20 streets, with one leader per street.

“It gives us a chance to meet and get to know each other while also looking out for each other’s belongings,” Pannu said.

Pannu said the civic association has contacted the Sheriff’s Office and said she hopes to see the neighborhood watch start sometime after Mardi Gras.