He addressed a meeting of about 30 people in Cromwell last night, which was the first step towards creating a support network in the town.
Predominantly middle-aged or retired residents attended, as well as a young father and son, and a member of the Cromwell Community Board.
They offered unanimous support for the idea during an open discussion about Cromwell's past and present crime rate, as well as the type of residents in the town and where trouble tended to occur.
Sgt Williams said Cromwell had relatively little crime but there were still problems with alcohol-related disorder and vandalism, as well as theft, and drugs.
"The level of crime in Cromwell is so low that it's a realistic ideal to get it to a negligible level. There are some positive initiatives that a neighbourhood support group can use with the help of police," he said.
The key to effective policing was information, and when residents formed networks in conjunction with local officers, problems could be dealt with quickly and before they escalated, he said.
"We thrive on information - it's what we act on and we need as much as we can get.
"Often people think someone else will ring police about something. so they don't do it themselves, or they assume police already know.
"In reality, officers miss out on information, and I would rather receive 20 phone calls about a job than none at all," he said.
Residents at the meeting said in the past few decades Cromwell had changed from being a town where locks were never needed, to one where homes were susceptible to vandalism and theft.
Sgt Williams said a neighbourhood support network was the appropriate tool to combat such issues. It also allowed individual residents to feel supported within a group, and provided officers with key contacts in the community, he said.
Most at the meeting added their names and contact details to a list of people interested in being involved in the neighbourhood support group, which will be formalised in due course.
