Community partners gathered once again in the spirit of National Night Out on Tuesday for the annual community awards.

Even though there were some communities who received plaques on Tuesday, we think everyone was a winner on National Night Out in the fight against crime. Well, everyone except the criminals, that is.

National Night Out 2018 in Suffolk saw more than 150 communities, civic leagues, homeowners’ associations, apartment and condominium complexes, churches, fraternal organizations and business partners holding neighborhood socials, cookouts, block parties and other gatherings to “give crime a going away party.”

National Night Out has been a staple in Suffolk going back years, and we love this annual crime-fighting event. What could be better to deter criminals from a neighborhood than to see a bunch of people outside watching what’s going on in their community and getting to know their neighbors and local law enforcement — with the doors to their cars and homes securely locked?

Even though the community as a whole won in the fight against crime on National Night Out, there were some communities and businesses recognized as the best of the best during this Tuesday’s community awards ceremony. They were:

• Honorable Mention — Olde Mill Creek
• Rookie of the Year — Belleville Meadows Apartments including Belleville Widows and Orphans Home, Temple Beth El and The Belleville Experience/Bell-X
• Top Business — Sentara Obici Hospital
• Best Community — 1st place, Burbage Grant Neighborhood Watch; 2nd place, West End/Lakeside
• Best Combined Community — 1st place, Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, including Hoffler, Cypress Menor, Parker Riddick, Colander Bishop and Chorey Park Apartments; 2nd place, South Suffolk/Pleasant Hill Civic Association
• Spirit Award — Marianne Walston, director of critical and intermediate care at Sentara Obici Hospital, team organizer and co-chair of the National Night Out at Obici and Health Fair Committee
• Grand Finale Sites — National Night Out at Obici and Health Fair; Greater Oakland and Chuckatuck Civic League

We applaud all of the people involved in every single National Night Out community who made this year’s outing a success.