National Night Out is perhaps not what it may first seem.

Held on the first Tuesday in August every year since 1984, the observance aims to promote community safety.

Community and police programmes and initiatives are promoted within local neighbourhoods in order to improve safety and to take a stand against criminals. the event originally begin with people leaving porch lights on and sitting outside of their properties- hence the name National Night Out! The first of these events gained much interest with 2.5 million residents across 400 communities in 23 states participating. An enormous amount for a first event! Such was the success and publicity surrounding the campaign that in 2016 38 million residents in 16,000 communities across the United States participated! Impressive stuff!

National Night Out was first established in 1984 by Matt Peskin of the National Association of Town Watch, who now sponsor the event. National Night Out is usually organized by block watchers, non-profit organizations, companies and police departments. The events can vary from simple backyard parties to full-scale festivals, like in Columbus, Ohio where the festival organized there includes live music, food and entertainment.

This is a fantastic opportunity to become more involved with your community and improve safety for local residents as well as make a stand against those involved with crime.