Ring and Crimestoppers NeighbourGood Café Tour coming to Birmingham to strengthen community safety

The ‘NeighbourGood Café Tour’, a collaboration between Ring and the independent charity Crimestoppers, will travel across the UK throughout 2026 to transform local cafés into hubs that encourage conversations about neighbourhood safety.

The event takes place in Birmingham as new Ring research of 2,000 people across the UK1 reveals three quarters (76%) of people in the West Midlands believe a street where neighbours know each other and communicate regularly feels safer compared to one where neighbours keep to themselves. A further 43% of West Midlands residents claim the combination of both knowing and trusting their neighbours and having security cameras was the most effective way to prevent crime in their community.

The café will open its doors on Saturday 28th March at 10am – 5pm in JuJu's Café in Watermarque in Birmingham city centre. Residents across the West Midlands are invited to visit and enjoy complimentary drinks while meeting neighbours, representatives from Ring and Crimestoppers, and Mohammed Zafran – Ring’s ‘Community Champion’ for the region. The event will offer Birmingham residents advice on how they can protect their homes and communities together.

Mohammed Zafran, known to everyone in Birmingham as Zaf, founded All 4 Youth & Community, a charity that steers young people in Birmingham toward sport and education. He has worked with thousands of young people across the city, many referred to him by West Midlands Police and the Youth Offenders Team.

The scale of Zaf's recognition for his community work is exceptional. He was the 2013 Community Award winner at the Birmingham Sports Awards and was recognised with the Pride of Sport Local Hero Award in 2014. In 2015, he won the inaugural Pride of Birmingham award and the National Diversity Award on the same night, and his work had caught the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron, leading to Zaf receiving a British Empire Medal from the Queen that same year. He was also honoured at Wembley Stadium with the Sir Bobby Moore Trophy in front of 80,000 people during the Community Shield match between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Zaf's work has attracted significant national media attention, with features on ITV News Central and Sky Sports. He has also received the Highly Commended Great Neighbour Award at the BBC WM Make A Difference Awards. He has been recognised in a global humanitarian list alongside some of the world's most prominent figures, including Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie and has accumulated over 50 national awards throughout his career, most recently being named in the top 100 Outstanding and Powerful Personalities in the UK in the Parliament Review.

All of his community work is done voluntarily, alongside his day job as a Community Liaison Officer at South and City College Birmingham. Zaf will be hosting the NeighbourGood Café Tour's Birmingham stop, bringing his experience of grassroots crime prevention and community building to the conversation.

At each free event, neighbours can pick up their free hot drink before they have the opportunity to meet and nominate local Ring Community Champions, share their own experiences, discover how smart home technology complements traditional community safety and learn from Crimestoppers about the value of anonymously passing on what they know, have seen or have heard about crime.

Alongside this, Ring’s research shows that three quarters (75%) of West Midlands residents said they would likely share suspicious activity captured on a home security camera with their neighbours, while 72% said they’re confident their neighbours would tell them if something unusual happened at their property while they were away.

“Community safety works best when neighbours look out for each other," added Alan Edwards, West Midlands Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers.

“The NeighbourGood Café Tour creates the perfect environment for those conversations to happen naturally. Our charity is proud to collaborate with Ring to help communities in Birmingham and across the UK to connect, share knowledge, and take practical steps to keep their neighbourhoods safe.”

The tour recognises that while smart technology plays an important role, the most effective neighbourhood safety comes from combining technology with strong community relationships.

Dave Ward, Managing Director EU and International at Ring commented: “The best home security isn't just about technology, it's about neighbours who genuinely know each other. A cup of coffee and a conversation might sound simple, but that's exactly how community groups like Zaf’s started. We want our NeighbourGood Café to be the beginning of something lasting - like neighbours exchanging numbers, setting up group chats and keeping an eye out for each other, long after we've left town.”

The NeighbourGood Café Tour visits Birmingham on Saturday 28th March, 10am-5pm, and will visit communities across the UK throughout 2026, including Greater Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff. The NeighbourGood Café Tour will also support a community charity in each location by donating £1,000 of Ring devices to a local good cause.

For more information, visit www.ring.com/neighbourgoodcafe.