Wondering if police respond to home alarm systems? For the majority of the time, police don’t respond to home alarms. However, it does depend on a few factors.
If you have a standard unmonitored burglar alarm installed in your home, then the police will not automatically be called out if an alarm is triggered. It will be up to you or a passer-by to inform the police that there has been a break-in or an activated alarm.
The only way to guarantee an automatic police response, when needed, is to have a monitored burglar alarm in place. Read on to discover what a monitored burglar alarm is, how they initiate a police response, as well as their importance in terms of your home security.
Monitored Burglar Alarms
A monitored burglar alarm is essentially a burglar alarm system that is monitored 24/7 by a certified security monitoring provider. They will monitor your system for any activations and carry out the most appropriate action on your behalf if there is a burglary or intrusion. A monitored burglar alarm is particularly beneficial when a household is away from their home or not able to be contacted.
When an alarm is triggered, it will send a signal to an alarm receiving centre (ARC), whose operatives will contact you and instantly carry out the necessary procedure, such as calling out the most appropriate response team e.g. the police.
Will a Monitored Alarm Always Initiate Police Response?
A monitored alarm system is sophisticated and won’t always initiate a police response if an alarm or sensor is triggered. When the ARC receives an alert, an operator will most likely contact the named account holder to confirm if the trigger is a false alarm or a real emergency. If they are unable to contact the account holder, they can also use audio and video technology to verify a break-in. They will then go on to call the police, who will check the property.
With unmonitored alarm systems, the police don’t have enough time or resources to respond to every burglar alarm, especially when many are false alarms, often triggered by pets or by not setting the system properly. However, when receiving a call from an ARC in connection to a monitored alarm system, they can guarantee that it is an emergency and not a false alarm.
Why Are Police Not Always Required?
Depending on the situation of the triggered alarm, the police may not always be required. When the ARC receive the alarm activation, an ARC operative will quickly evaluate the situation and determine whether the police are needed. Sometimes if there is not enough information to warrant the police being called out, then another response is actioned. For example, a security response from the security provider themselves or even an audio confrontation to the intruder via the security system.
The Importance of Alarm Monitoring
Having a monitored security system installed in your home massively increases your level of home security, the protection of your loved ones, as well as peace of mind that your home is being monitored. Because of its connection to an ARC, using a monitored system is the only way to get an automatic response to a triggered alarm and in particular, a police response. This is extremely beneficial when you are not present at your property, on holiday or at work and hard to contact. It gives you the best chance of stopping an intruder in their tracks, deterring them from carrying on with the burglary or catching them at the scene.
If you are thinking of installing a monitored burglar alarm in your home, make sure you use an NSI approved company to ensure you have the highest quality system in place and it is installed to the highest and latest standards. Homewatch is a fully NSI certified company and our engineers are all NSI approved too.
When you have a monitored burglar alarm installed, you will likely pay a monthly fee to cover the cost of monitoring your security system. Homewatch provides a monitoring and maintenance service for just £9.99 per month.
If you want to know more information or have any questions, just in touch on 01733 302 900.
