Security systems vulnerable as Police response changes

Since April 1st 2006, the number of false activations at Level 1 (immediate / urgent response) allowed before police response is withdrawn, has dropped from five to three.

This effectively means that after three false alarms in any rolling twelve-month period, organisations would be left without any police response.

But, as Darryn Faivelowitz explains,
“A condition of a Level 1 response since July 2002, has been that all intruder alarms monitored by an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) have to comply with legislative document DD243 and be capable of sending ‘confirmed’ signals, i.e. from two separate means of detection within the system, to the ARC before being passed to the police.”

Local adoption of the revised policy has now been made by all county police forces as they strive to concentrate their urgent response resources on real crime related incidents and avoiding the distraction of false alarm calls. However, an increasing number of constabularies already require older style signalling alarms to be upgraded, or response will be withdrawn. This, as Darryn Faivelowitz points out, now leaves such systems without effective police response; it is down to the key holder to investigate.

As migrating to ‘confirmed signal’ systems is a straightforward and simple job, all organisations operating older style single path alarms, advises Darryn Faivelowitz, should seriously consider the benefits of upgrading. This early action also has the support of major insurers as the reconfigured system has more chance to stay on Level 1 response, states Trevor Duckett, Security Systems Manager, Norfolk Constabulary, as his police force fully supports the installation and maintenance of quality electronic alarms protecting high value premises, and where found necessary, they continue to offer a local ‘Grade A’ response to sequential detection, confirmed signals, passed to his control room by approved monitoring centres.

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King Edward School installs CCTV

As part of a joint venture with Norfolk County Council, King Edward School, a 1330 student secondary school and Specialist Sports College in King’s Lynn, recently completed installation of an extensive CCTV system in order to provide additional site management and security to the school’s facilities and to aid health and safety for students.

The system, installed and maintained by CTS Security Ltd., is a mix of static and 360-degree high-speed dome cameras. The static cameras monitor specific areas in the school such as entry and exits to the building, and circulating areas including school corridors.

One of the externally mounted dome cameras monitors the main school entrance and driveway to the building, the tennis courts, sports pavilion and school playing field. A second dome camera provides surveillance of the new cycle sheds, the line path entrance to the tennis court area, together with the playing field and school elevations.

These dome cameras constantly survey the school grounds by means of a pre-set tour, which can be manually overridden at any time by school staff. Head Teacher Mike Douglas commented, “The safety of staff, students and the site is extremely important to us and the installation of the CCTV system has provided a vital addition to the school’s security.”

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New vehicle fleet

As part of an ongoing investment programme aimed at guaranteeing our high levels of customer service and response, we recently took delivery of a new fleet of maintenance and installation vehicles.

The five new Renault Kangoos have been kitted out with everything our engineers need to install, service and maintain the range of intruder alarms, access control and CCTV systems and fire alarms that CTS offer.

The fleet, finished in an eye-catching red with our distinctive logo, were bought from Wests of King’s Lynn.

In the photograph, CTS Managing Director Roy Fayers (right) and General Manager Darryn Faivelowitz (left) are shown receiving the keys from Wests’
Dan Cuthill.

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System facilitates international staff access

Snap On Diagnostics is a manufacturer and distributor of automotive diagnostics tools and equipment, having its head office in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. King’s Lynn is one of several operation centres worldwide.

CTS had been a long-standing supplier to Snap On. When the company consolidated their UK Diagnostics operations onto one site, CTS was invited to provide Snap On with a PC based access control system that would operate with their existing Corporate system in the US.

Having a number of sites worldwide, Snap On needs Certain employees to be able to gain entry to any of the company's premises at any time. The access control system CTS installed allows visiting employees admission to the King's Lynn building, using their system access cards from their home country facility. Conversely, UK employees can use their photographic access cards in the UK and throughout Snap On's Global sites.

The system is networked and enables comprehensive monitoring of employees' movements, who is on site at any given time, attendance etc throughout the site.

The system has been operating for 12 months and has been beneficial in controlling access. Based on the success of this system CTS have been invited to install this system in the Snap-on Tools site in Kettering, Northants.

CTS also provided an analogue addressable fire alarm system at the King's Lynn site. Automatic smoke detectors and manual call points are located throughout the premises to provide early warning of a fire. Operating via links to the access control system, in the event of an emergency any access controlled fire escape doors are automatically released.

Supporting these operations, a full emergency lighting system is installed throughout the site, providing sufficient light in the event of a power cut.

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One of the first

Hardware retailer, Chilvers of King’s Lynn, was one of the first intruder alarm installations fitted by CTS over a quarter of a century ago.

The original system has since been upgraded twice, in order to comply with changing legislative requirements and to take advantage of advancing technology.

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Home safety guide

There are a number of simple, and often inexpensive precautions that can help reduce the risk of your home being burgled.

Most burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves. According to Norfolk Police, in two out of 10 burglaries the thieves don’t even have to use force - they get in through an open door or window. Fitting strong locks to your doors and windows is a good starting point.

If you are replacing or fitting new doors and windows, get ones that are certified to British Standard BS7950 (windows) or PAS 24-1 (doors), and make sure you always keep them fully locked when appropriate.

Whenever you go out, even if it just for a few minutes, be sure to activate your alarm system.

The police suggest that you look at your home through a burglar’s eyes and ask yourself:

• How would you get in if you’d forgotten your keys?
• Are there places where burglars could break in without being seen?
• Would they have to make a lot of noise by breaking glass?

Norfolk Constabulary has produced a 'Do-It-Yourself' guide that will help you conduct a crime prevention survey of your own home. It is available from the Norfolk Constabulary website. Click here to download the document in pdf format.

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Benefits of a maintenance contract

Occasionally customers ask us what exactly is covered by their maintenance agreement:

• During the service the engineer confirms that all the detectors are operating to their optimum, that no obstacles are present, the system is still detecting properly and that no additional rooms or doors have been added.
• We check that all door contacts are operating correctly.
• The correct functioning of all external sirens and strobes and internal sounders is verified.
• The control panel back-up battery is tested, using an Intelligent Battery Tester,to make sure the battery is able to power the system in the event of a power cut.
• Connections, voltages and charging rates are checked to ensure correct operation

It is important to bear in mind that all maintained customers have:

• Preferential equipment and call out rates
• Priority when reporting a call out or requesting an engineer,
• Access to an engineer 24/7

And lastly, a NACOSS certificate is only valid if the system is maintained; if it is not there may be implications for your insurance.

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Old bell boxes may not deter burglars

Bell boxes (the external box that holds the siren on your home alarm system) that are old, or tired-looking, can give the impression that the alarm may not be working or is never activated.

Burglars can notice these things and it is easy for them to assume that the alarm system may not be maintained or regularly serviced, making the property more attractive for their criminal intentions.

Fitting a new external siren and box tells thieves that the system is new and more likely to be in everyday use.

Call 01553 765429 to find out more or to order a brand new style bell box and siren.

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Unable to switch off alarm following power cut?

If, after there has been a power cut at your property, your alarm has started ringing and you have been unable to switch it off, it probably means that the battery back-up
has failed.

Batteries in alarms will wear out in the same way that car batteries and those in any electrical item will. If they are subject to regular use, continual recharging will shorten their lives making them more susceptible to failure following delay in reconnecting power.

If the power cut causes the failing battery to drain completely whilst you are away from the property for extended periods, such as on holiday, your alarm system would not be active and your property would not be protected.

Changing the battery is not something the alarm system owner usually wants to do, so it is important to have your system professionally serviced regularly. CTS will change the battery if necessary during annual servicing, ensuring that your system is operating at its most efficient at all times.

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Service engineers go hi-tech

You will probably be familiar with the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for signing for goods and services at home or at work.

Suppliers from a wide range of home delivery services now ask you to sign on a hand-held electronic pad rather than with a pen on a pre-printed form. These systems can mean significant savings in the use of paper, thereby cutting down the amount of waste going to landfill and the need for recycling.

CTS have recently introduced the use of PDAs as a replacement for printed service sheets. We now automatically load each engineer’s PDA with full details of his daily calls, with the flexibility to make changes right up to the last minute. Once on site, the engineer will input details of any maintenance or corrective work required and ask you to sign on the PDA’s screen.

When the job has been completed, the engineer connects his PDA with our administration computer system, which automatically collects all the information about the systems serviced and repaired. This means that our support staff have more time to spend on providing direct service to you, the customer.

If you have any queries about our use of paperless service sheets, please call us on 01553 765429.

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Health and safety training - best practice and sound investment

At CTS, we know that health and safety training is one of the most important investments we make.

Our engineers regularly undertake training to ensure that they are fully acquainted with the latest requirements in health and safety working practices. To help us deliver best practice and monitor our compliance in these areas, we have employed the services of a Health and Safety Consultant.

All CTS staff now carry Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards, to show that they have met the health and safety requirements as defined by the Scheme. Our engineers have also all completed Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP) training, enabling them to operate and work using high lift platforms, known as cherry-pickers.

With many construction companies now insisting that all people who work on site have been through these schemes, you can be sure that CTS personnel who attend your premises for installation, maintenance or corrective work are fully compliant with all industry and legal health and safety requirements.

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Higher European Standards for intruder alarms

For the last 18 months the intruder alarm industry has embraced European Standards. CTS General Manager Darryn Faivelowitz looks at the significance for those upgrading existing, or installing new systems.

The new EU Standards now apply four grades for intruder alarms, based on increasing levels of resilience against attack by intruders with anticipated levels of alarm knowledge and tools.

Within the UK Grade 1 systems are extremely unlikely to be used.

Some of the key elements of the new Standards address increasing control panel event memories and levels of recommended detection. These are reflected in the key differences between Grades 2, 3 and 4. The movement sensors at Grade 3 must be able to detect ‘masking’, i.e. something has been placed over the sensor lens, and at Grade 4 ‘range reduction’, i.e. something has blocked part of the detectors field of view.

Each signalling Grade has a subset of ‘Options’ showing acceptable combinations of signalling; for instance an audible siren at the premises and/or a link to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

The performance of the link to the ARC also varies between the Grades. For example signalling notification of failure to an ARC can vary from within 25 hours down to as little as 3 minutes.

Maintenance standards are defined with different numbers and types of visit for different Grades

CTS will always carry out a formal assessment of the theft risk to determine a suitable Grade of alarm. To do so we consider the items at risk, existing security arrangements and any previous thefts, etc. It is important to understand that, depending on the risk exposure, insurers may require an intruder alarm before providing certain insurance covers, e.g. theft. As the Grade of an alarm cannot be readily changed after installation, it makes sense to check a proposed alarm with any interested insurer before proceeding.

As alarm technology is advancing so rapidly and the installation and maintenance is increasingly subject to higher standards it is vital to use a reputable installer inspected by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI).

If you would like to know full details of the new standards and the operating criteria they define, please call me on 01553 765429.

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As of 1 October 2006 new fire safety rules, known as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order came into force.

If you are the ‘responsible person’ as defined in the Order (see panel), it states that you must make sure you carry out a fire risk assessment, although you can delegate this task to a ‘competent person’ such as a professional consultant, and ensure the premises are equipped with suitable warning and precautionary devices.

It is important that you know the key facts of the new Order; for instance all pre 1/10/2006 fire certificates no longer have legal status, you must have a new certificate; fire risk assessment must identify all fire and emergency risks and if you employ five or more people you must record your findings. Remember that in the event of a fire at your premises, it is quite possible that your insurance company may dispute making payment if you have not got recorded and actioned risk assessments.

For full details of the areas of responsibilities of the person accountable for the safety of all employees and relevant personal and exactly what constitutes a Fire Risk Assessment contact CTS Security on 01553 765429.

You are the ‘Responsible Person’ if you are:-

• Responsible for business premises
• An employer
• Self-employed with business premises
• A charity or voluntary organisation
• A contractor with a degree of control over any premises

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CCTV monitors minerals site

WBB Minerals is a multi-national organisation providing advanced industrial minerals to the world’s ceramics, glass, foundry, construction and sports surface industries.

CTS have worked for WBB for nearly 20 years, providing CCTV systems at the company’s King’s Lynn, Leighton Buzzard, Scunthorpe and Macclesfield sites.

WBB minerals have an ongoing programme of CCTV coverage of their premises, not only assist the company to maintain quality control of their installations by monitoring equipment functions, stockpiles and the decontamination of vehicles used in the transportation of the company’s products , but also to discourage the unauthorised use of the land and facilities the site provides.

The Kings Lynn site, a 24/7 operation manned by just two personnel at weekends, is typical in its needs for intruder and vehicle observation and stockpile monitoring. Cameras are installed on both the office and the weighbridge entrances and at strategic points around the site.

In addition to swing dome cameras that monitor several of the company’s processes and equipment functions, such as water treatments, sand traps and clarifiers, static cameras act as intruder deterrents at various perimeter locations.

Roger High of WBB says the cameras have been used to pass evidence to the police on a number of occasions, including recording of intrusion by unauthorised vehicles and vandalism attempts.

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Hughes upgrades systems and maintenance

Hughes Electrical is a long established family firm with an extensive electrical wholesale and retail network and a rapidly growing online presence.

For over eight years CTS Security provided and maintained security systems in one of Hughes Electrical’s main distribution depots.

When the company was planning the opening of a further retail outlet, CTS was invited to provide a specification and quotation for the new shop in King’s Lynn’s town centre.

Around the same time the existing contract for the maintenance of a number of other Hughes premises arose. Having completed the installation of the new shop, CTS were invited to present proposals to upgrade and maintain the security systems at these additional sites.

Bob Saucier, Marketing and Development Director at Hughes said that the project was originally put to tender. The company was impressed with CTS Security’s level of knowledge, expediency in the proposals they presented and, from previous experience, their efficiency on site.

The roll out of the new contracts is well under way and CTS now maintain the intruder alarms at the majority of Hughes Electrical’s locations throughout East Anglia.

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Security stepped up following vandalism at college

Plaxtole House in Wisbech, part of the College of West Anglia, was subject to £110,000 damage as a result of vandalism in July 2007.

As a result, the college immediately commissioned CTS Security to install Intruder and CCTV systems.

Within three weeks, CTS had completed the work of making the college more secure. Intruder alarms now protect the entire building, whilst four static cameras and 1 hi-speed dome camera cover the front entrance, both sides and the rear of the premises.

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CTS standards recognised in NHBC Awards

CTS Security has received recognition from a local builder under the prestigious National House Building Council (NHBC) ‘Pride in the Job’ Awards.

Every year the NHBC awards 400 ‘Pride in Job Awards’ to site managers throughout the country who have met the exacting NHBC criteria for good practice.

The successful site managers in turn are then able to acknowledge those contractors who have assisted them in gaining the award, by issuing them with official NHBC ‘In Recognition’ certificates.

CTS worked along side local builders Jon Holden Ltd, installing thirteen domestic alarm systems on a new estate the firm was building in Mid Norfolk, and was awarded the certificate for ‘the invaluable support provided’ as members of the site team.

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