Why Self-Monitored Home Alarm Systems Don’t Work
- Thread starter Europlex
- Start date
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Are you a key holder to third party properties ? I am.
Can you show a document where that is stated ?
Key holders are not ( always ) security staff and are often advised to NOT approach the site of the alarm until police ( or trained and equiped security staff ) have ensured personal safety of all concerned.
I would still like mdf to show that in a document.
One draw back with self monitoring is the responder (key holder ) has no formal back up system in place. One of the monitoring stations will alert me and if they hear nothing back about the incident they will call me again to verify that I have not had problems at the site. Having an alert person checking on you is better than a sleepy family member who is annoyed at being woken up and may go back to sleep.
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Note Section 2 (it's in BOLD) - it's the same for all forces. This is the only copy I have that was handy to copy/paste
These extracts are taken from -
Association of Chief Police Officer of England,
Wales & Northern Ireland
Police Response to
Security Systems
This ‘living’ document is published by the Security Systems Working group within the General Policing Business Area and reviewed on a regular basis. Having been reviewed this document is effective from 1st January 2013 It is disclosable under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, has been registered and audited in line with ACPO requirements (Appendix V) and is subject to Copyright.
COPY of Page 35of59 >>
POLICE LETTER TO CUSTOMER ON COMPLETION OF INSTALLATION
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are pleased to note that you are having a security system installed at your premises. Every possible attention is paid to calls emanating from such systems but in this connection we must seek your co-operation on the following important matters. Failure to comply with any of the following conditions may result in the police withdrawing response from your system.
You are advised that police personnel may have to be withdrawn from the premises before the arrival of a keyholder. In this case the keyholder may contact the police and ask them to re-attend if there is evidence of an offence.
1. FALSE ALARMS
Because of the considerable amount of time expended attending false calls, the Police have formulated the following policy:
Every user having a system which produces two false calls within a period of 12 months, shall be served with a notice requiring action to be taken to prevent further false calls.
Should three (two for Hold Up) such calls be received within any 12 month period, police response will be withdrawn. Response may be reinstated if remedial action has been taken to rectify the fault, or when the system has achieved three months free of false calls. In the event of restoration of response being delayed for more than 6 months, the URN will de deleted. If the URN is for a combined Intruder/HoldUp alarm, only the element that is off response will be withdrawn.
Will you therefore please ensure that those involved in the operation of your security system are familiar with its functions and are informed of the importance of avoiding its accidental operation. Also, in the event of technical faults, please inform your system maintenance company as soon as possible after the fault has become apparent.
Ensure that the maintaining Alarm Company or the Alarm Receiving Centre is informed before commencement of any building or electrical work that may affect the operation of the intruder or hold-up system.
2. KEYHOLDERS
You should provide your alarm company with at least two keyholders for your premises. These keyholders shall be trained to operate the alarm, be contactable by telephone, have adequate means of transport to attend the premises at all hours, shall have access to all relevant parts of the premises and able to attend the premises within a 20 minute period.
3. NOISE NUISANCE
Your attention is also drawn to the Control of Noise Order 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2006. This includes a 20 minute limit on the operation of audible warning devices.
4. PERSONAL ATTACK ALARMS
The Security Systems Policy states “A personal attack may be operated to summon urgent police assistance when a person is threatened with immediate personal violence or criminal act”. However in many instances PAs are used where there is no threat to persons within a defined area. Without knowing the circumstances under which the PAs are activated, the police must respond. You should be aware that in the current policy, if you use the PA twice within in a rolling twelve month period and there is no threat to persons in a defined area, you will lose police response for a period of time.
Accidental misuse happens when staff are not trained in the use of a PA or visitors to the premises have access to the PA and press it out of curiosity. It is important that the PA is placed where members of the public cannot have access. Accidental misuse also occurs where duress codes are used. This is when a member of staff enters the duress code instead of the normal set or unset code. To prevent this happening all staff (including cleaning staff) who have access to the codes should be properly trained in the use of duress codes.
These extracts are taken from -
Association of Chief Police Officer of England,
Wales & Northern Ireland
Police Response to
Security Systems
This ‘living’ document is published by the Security Systems Working group within the General Policing Business Area and reviewed on a regular basis. Having been reviewed this document is effective from 1st January 2013 It is disclosable under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, has been registered and audited in line with ACPO requirements (Appendix V) and is subject to Copyright.
COPY of Page 35of59 >>
POLICE LETTER TO CUSTOMER ON COMPLETION OF INSTALLATION
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are pleased to note that you are having a security system installed at your premises. Every possible attention is paid to calls emanating from such systems but in this connection we must seek your co-operation on the following important matters. Failure to comply with any of the following conditions may result in the police withdrawing response from your system.
You are advised that police personnel may have to be withdrawn from the premises before the arrival of a keyholder. In this case the keyholder may contact the police and ask them to re-attend if there is evidence of an offence.
1. FALSE ALARMS
Because of the considerable amount of time expended attending false calls, the Police have formulated the following policy:
Every user having a system which produces two false calls within a period of 12 months, shall be served with a notice requiring action to be taken to prevent further false calls.
Should three (two for Hold Up) such calls be received within any 12 month period, police response will be withdrawn. Response may be reinstated if remedial action has been taken to rectify the fault, or when the system has achieved three months free of false calls. In the event of restoration of response being delayed for more than 6 months, the URN will de deleted. If the URN is for a combined Intruder/HoldUp alarm, only the element that is off response will be withdrawn.
Will you therefore please ensure that those involved in the operation of your security system are familiar with its functions and are informed of the importance of avoiding its accidental operation. Also, in the event of technical faults, please inform your system maintenance company as soon as possible after the fault has become apparent.
Ensure that the maintaining Alarm Company or the Alarm Receiving Centre is informed before commencement of any building or electrical work that may affect the operation of the intruder or hold-up system.
2. KEYHOLDERS
You should provide your alarm company with at least two keyholders for your premises. These keyholders shall be trained to operate the alarm, be contactable by telephone, have adequate means of transport to attend the premises at all hours, shall have access to all relevant parts of the premises and able to attend the premises within a 20 minute period.
3. NOISE NUISANCE
Your attention is also drawn to the Control of Noise Order 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2006. This includes a 20 minute limit on the operation of audible warning devices.
4. PERSONAL ATTACK ALARMS
The Security Systems Policy states “A personal attack may be operated to summon urgent police assistance when a person is threatened with immediate personal violence or criminal act”. However in many instances PAs are used where there is no threat to persons within a defined area. Without knowing the circumstances under which the PAs are activated, the police must respond. You should be aware that in the current policy, if you use the PA twice within in a rolling twelve month period and there is no threat to persons in a defined area, you will lose police response for a period of time.
Accidental misuse happens when staff are not trained in the use of a PA or visitors to the premises have access to the PA and press it out of curiosity. It is important that the PA is placed where members of the public cannot have access. Accidental misuse also occurs where duress codes are used. This is when a member of staff enters the duress code instead of the normal set or unset code. To prevent this happening all staff (including cleaning staff) who have access to the codes should be properly trained in the use of duress codes.
'digging'? Say what you mean.
this is untrue
this is true
what a silly man
the low-cost, DIY alarm systems that I am familiar with phone three local keyholders who can get to the house within 20 minutes.
The high-cost, professionally installed, monitored systems that I am familiar with have three local keyholders who can get to the property within 20 minutes.
It appears that in this case the user was foolish enough not to have dependable local keyholders who can be trusted and can get to the property within a short period (including himself).
In the tale Europlex propagated (having no personal knowledge of the events described) he suggests that the person in the house was not aware of intruders until he heard the door being attacked; yet he claims that the alarm would have alerted a monitoring station prior to this. I don't know if Europlex can think of a good reason why a system would call a monitoring station prior to an attempted break-in but not alert people in the property, for example with an audible alarm.
Round here, the police arrive, if the alarm is Confirmed, and if they have not withdrawn support due to false alarms, subject to availability and not having anything better to do. That might be with 20 minutes, or it might be after a few days, or it might be never.
You're like your mate, never answer anything when .... ah, there's no point.
By the way, I did not suggest anything, I QUOTED an article from a PROFESSIONAL security site.
I just don't know what your problem is.
Perhaps I'll quote a children's nursery rhyme for you, Humpty Dumpty perhaps, then you could go on about H&S regulations.
By the way, I did not suggest anything, I QUOTED an article from a PROFESSIONAL security site.
I just don't know what your problem is.
Perhaps I'll quote a children's nursery rhyme for you, Humpty Dumpty perhaps, then you could go on about H&S regulations.
you posted a tale under your own name.
No attribution, no link, no quotation marks.
If you post silly stories under your own name you have only yourself to blame if people point out that you are posting silly stories.
though the story would have been equally silly if you had posted the tale as a quotation and you thought it was true.
As you had no personal experience of the tale you propagated, it's a shame you republished it under your own name.
Had you researched a little first, you might have seen
http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2...in_bid_to_rob_alarmforce_presidents_home.html
and not made such a fool of yourself by uncritical redistribution under your own name.
and now you claim this Marketing blurb was part of a "PROFESSIONAL security site"
"PROFESSIONAL security site" recommends "PROFESSIONAL system". Shock horror, call the papers, stop the presses. Next thing we'll have other trade bodies (like Gas Safe and NICEIC) recommending you use their members.
That's sarcasm BTW.
I used to be a nominated keyholder at my last job - but not first on the list for any of the areas. There were different orders for different bits of the building - IIRC I was something like 4th or 5th for the office alarm, but 10th or lower for the factory alarm and fire alarm.
One evening I got called out for a fire alarm activation in the factory. Yup, I was something like 10th on the list and they ended up with me
Everyone above me was either ill, had a drink and couldn't drive, or were otherwise unavailable.
So I turned up, but I don't have keys for the factory. I was at least able to get into the office, check the panel, and identify where the triggered sensor was. At least it was only one sensor so there couldn't be a real fire or there'd have been dozens triggered by now. By the time I remembered the big bunch of keys in a managers office and let the fire brigade into the factory, I'd been there some time.
That's sarcasm BTW.
I used to be a nominated keyholder at my last job - but not first on the list for any of the areas. There were different orders for different bits of the building - IIRC I was something like 4th or 5th for the office alarm, but 10th or lower for the factory alarm and fire alarm.
One evening I got called out for a fire alarm activation in the factory. Yup, I was something like 10th on the list and they ended up with me
Everyone above me was either ill, had a drink and couldn't drive, or were otherwise unavailable.So I turned up, but I don't have keys for the factory. I was at least able to get into the office, check the panel, and identify where the triggered sensor was. At least it was only one sensor so there couldn't be a real fire or there'd have been dozens triggered by now. By the time I remembered the big bunch of keys in a managers office and let the fire brigade into the factory, I'd been there some time.
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