It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jim Maddan OBE – our vice-chairman and treasurer of the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network.

Jim sadly passed away yesterday after a brave battle with recent ill health.

He has been involved with the Neighbourhood Watch movement since 1992 and had served as our chair of trustees from 2011 – 2016.

In January 2015 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his services to policing and the community.

“I was very sorry to hear of the sudden death of Jim Maddan,”

“I had the privilege and pleasure of working with Jim when I was Home Office Director of Crime and he was Chair of Neighbourhood Watch.

“His contribution to cutting crime and helping to keep communities safe across England and Wales was impressive. Jim was always reliably honest in his relationship with the Home Office which I appreciated and he will be missed."

Diana Luchford CB, Interim Director General of the Crime, Policing and Fire Group at the Home Office, paid tribute to Jim’s service.

 

“Jim was a wonderful character who stood for all that is right about people fighting for safer and more secure communities. As Chair of NHWN he brought our movement into the 21st century by developing relationships with police and partners and grew our movement in many varied and forward-thinking ways.

“It is impossible to pay full tribute to his incredible contribution to Neighbourhood Watch. He was so committed to our movement. Although recently he has been very poorly he was determined to come along to a summer event in London for our members where we were announcing our change to CIO status and introducing the newly appointed Chair. He was only able to stay for a few hours, but made his presence felt and everyone was so pleased to see him.”

Lynn Farrar, current chair of NHWN

In 2012 Jim accepted the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award from H.M the Queen at Buckingham Palace on behalf of the Neighbourhood Watch movement.

Jim was the current Mayor of Wandsworth Council in London where he had served as a respected local councillor since 2002.

Prior to entering local politics he served as a police officer for 30 years, rising to the rank of Inspector until his retirement in 1999. He was the officer in charge of day-to-day policing in Putney and Roehampton from 1992 until his retirement seven years later.