Brookhaven Police Chief Kenneth Collins is correct when he says it takes the community’s help to solve and prevent crimes.

To that end, police organized a Neighborhood Watch start-up meeting Thursday for anyone interested in participating in the program.

The murder of a man Wednesday highlights the need for Watch programs throughout the city.

“If you see something, say something,” Collins said. “That’s the only way we can get better, with the community’s help. You might think it’s nothing, but it might be the missing piece we need to put a piece of the puzzle together.”

Collins is encouraging neighborhoods to get together and participate in the program, but even if they don’t, he urges the public to get involved when they see something unusual or illegal.

Collins said he wants to see neighbors watching over each other, “Just like in the old days when you could leave your doors unlocked because you know your neighbor wasn’t going to let nobody go in your house because they knew you weren’t at home. That’s the way it used to be.”

Watch programs will not stop all crimes or help solve all crimes, but they can help deter crime and can be crucial when it comes to solving them. Any and all information can be useful to police.

We too often see something suspicious but decide it’s none of our business. The safety of our communities is everyone’s business.

“We must watch each other’s backs because we are our brothers’ keepers. We’ve got to keep Brookhaven safe,” Collins said.

We agree.