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1st 2006, the number of false activations at Level 1 (immediate / urgent response) allowed before police response is withdrawn, has dropped from five to three.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increasing number of constabularies already require older style signalling alarms to be upgraded, or response will be withdrawn.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.
