Introduced in 1994 by the Home Secretary, Street Watch schemes involved members of the community voluntarily patrolling their local streets in small groups and reporting anything suspicious to the police. Street Watch members have no police powers. Street Watch, or Neighborhood Watch, is one of the biggest and most successful crime prevention initiatives ever. However, the extent to which partnerships are successful is somewhat controversial and debatable with mixed research. Using the example of research conducted in two Street Watch schemes in the urban West Midlands, this article argues that this particular form of active citizenship does not enjoy the presumption of any inherent legitimacy. By outlining the progress of these two specific police-community partnerships, the article seeks to highlight the difficulties experienced by the police in attempting to maintain the legitimacy of the schemes. What is found is that although crime prevention partnerships with local residents are often assumed to be positive, they have the potential to be thrust upon the police due to the specific nature of circumstances in certain localities together with community targets. References