New Taipei City has recognized 81 volunteer neighborhood watch teams, a boost for community safety efforts that lean on residents rather than police numbers.

• Mayor Hou Yu-ih handed out awards to 81 teams, with 23 earning the top rating.
• Yonghe's Yuxi Village stood out for building an online disaster map showing fire extinguishers, bomb shelters, and rescue points.
• The teams are made up of ordinary residents who patrol at night and report problems to police and firefighters.
• The city has 587 such teams, which also check on elderly people living alone, help find missing persons, and warn neighbors about scams.
• Hou said police manpower is limited but volunteer manpower is not, calling safety the foundation for everything else.

Outlook: Expect the city to push more teams toward the tech-and-mapping approach that won this year's top honors.