Do you expect the Police to attend your property whenever the alarm activates?
If you do, it’s important you understand what a Police URN is and when the Police will and won’t attend.
Unfortunately, we can no longer rely on Police response to act as a deterrent against intruders, vandalism or attack. Ongoing reductions in policing budgets, mean resources are continuously being squeezed.
A Police response is based on a number of factors including availability of resources, time taken to reach the property, priority to respond based on other incidents and whether a Police URN (Unique Reference Number) has been issued to a properties security system.
In order to reduce the amount of time wasted by Police attending false alarm activations, the NPCC (National Police Chiefs Council) administer the current Guidelines on Police Requirements & Response to Security Systems.
To obtain a Police URN there are certain conditions that must be achieved relating to:
- Your alarm system
- The company you use to install and maintain the alarm.
- The type of signalling system used by your alarm system.
- The monitoring station or ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre) connected to your alarm system.
- The performance of your alarm system.
It is also important to understand poor performance of your alarm system can result in your Police URN being withdrawn.
For example, if your alarm system triggers 2 false calls within a 12 month rolling period, you will be served with a notice requiring action to be taken to prevent further false calls.
If your alarm system triggers 3 false calls within a 12-month rolling period, police response will be withdrawn. If this happened, you would need to inform your insurance company, as this may impact your insurance premium and cover.
How to obtain a Police URN
To obtain a Police URN you should:
- Use an alarm system with a Type A signalling system. This is a Remote Signalling System terminating at a recognised Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) or monitoring station.
- Alarm systems installed after June 2012 must conform to PD6662: 2010 and BS 8243.
- Your alarm installation company and Alarm Receiving centre should be certified by a UKAS accredited body such as the National Security Inspectorate (NSI)
- A Police URN is issued by your local Police constabulary. This means the criteria may differ depending on your local constabulary requirements.
- Your qualified Alarm installer and ARC will then administer the application and receive your Police URN number.
Appointing an Alarm Response Company
The majority of us will want the Police to be the first on the scene, to apprehend any criminals that have activated your property alarm.
However, as previously explained the Police cannot guarantee a response time when called upon and for this reason you may consider outsourcing your Key Holding and Alarm Response service to an SIA Approved Contractor like KeyPlus
Alarm Response companies cannot provide guaranteed response times, although KeyPlus does operate a Service Level Agreement which means we will not make a charge if we take longer to attend than promised.
Your Alarm Response company should be suitably accredited, meaning they are trusted key holders and trained to approach buildings and situations in a safe and competent manner.
Additional benefits of appointing Alarm Response and Key Holder companies include the ability to recognise false alarms, therefore notifying the ARC and Police and avoiding the possibility of your Police URN being withdrawn.
To find out more about Alarm Response and Key Holder services that compliment your Police URN service, contact KeyPlus on 0800 783 1025 or visit https://keyplus.co.uk/alarm-response/
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About KeyPlus Security Ltd
KeyPlus provides professional secured services, key holding and alarm response services for commercial, industrial and public premises along with residential properties. KeyPlus take care of your security needs with a 24-hour, 365 days a year service. Find out more about Key Holding, Alarm Response and Mobile Patrols.
About the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 requires the SIA to establish a “system of inspection for providers of security services, under which those organisations who satisfactorily meet the agreed standards may be registered as approved, and may advertise themselves as such”. Find out more at http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pages/acs-intro.aspx
To find out more, get in touch by calling us on 0800 783 1025 or request a Quote here.
