To generate a Police response, all new intruder alarm systems must have confirmation technology. Confirmation can be provided in the following ways:
- Visual– the alarm is linked to a remote centre who can then see and control CCTV to ascertain if the alarm is genuine. This is mainly used for outside areas. Audio- the alarm centre listen to the premises and can also hear what happened at the alarm triggering.
- Sequential – This is the most popular method. More than one detector is activated on the premises which means the likelihood of it being a false alarm is reduced. Special sequential movement detectors are available to generate a Police response in the event of only that only a single room is entered. An alarm with Police response will also be switched on/off by using a proximity tag instead of a code. This was to reduce false alarms with people forgetting or entering in the wrong code.
Also, Police now issue every site with a URN ( unique reference number ). This allows more efficient response as the Police have all the sites details including key holders rather than the alarm centre needing to pass this on. The Police make a charge to issue a URN and the URN is only valid for that site and owner. A new owner must apply for a new URN.
