Business alarms - who should respond?

If you’re a business owner, the question of who should respond to alarm activations has no doubt crossed your mind. So what are your options for alarm response and who can respond for you?

You, or your employees

Many business owners respond to alarm activations themselves, or ask employees to be on call for them. It’s great if you have staff willing to take on this responsibility, but have you thought about their health and safety or the impact it could have on their work/life balance?

Out-of-hours alarm activations can put you and your employees at risk. Waking up in the middle of the night can mean your senses are impaired, making driving more dangerous. Business owners and their employees rarely have training in conflict management, so if you reach the premises to find it has been compromised, you could be putting yourself or your employees in harm’s way.

The police

The police will only respond to an alarm activation if it is confirmed through a remotely monitored security system meeting a certain set of requirements, or where someone at the scene reports an offence in progress. They may request police attendance, but a response isn’t guaranteed.

There are 2 levels of police response;

Level 1: An immediate response, subject to priorities

Level 3: Response withdrawn

Level 3 occurs as a result of three false calls to the police for intruder or personal attack alarms in a 12 month-rolling period. It can be reinstated, however the cause of the false alarm needs to be identified and action taken to resolve it. 

If you’re wondering what or where level 2 is, this was ‘delayed response’ but it is no longer applicable. 

Police response could be an option for you, but over-stretched resources and competing priorities mean you may not always get the help you need right away. Although the police are always there to help should you become a victim of crime, it may not always be possible for them to respond. 

A professional security services provider

A professional security services provider who offers alarm response can respond to activations on your behalf. Choosing somebody local with local knowledge means they should be able to offer a quick response time, so if your alarm activates, they can be there quickly, ready to respond. 

They’ll also know what to do should they find your premises has been broken into. From contacting the Police to arranging for a boarding-up company to secure the site, they’ll do more than just respond and reset your alarm, they’ll give you reassurance that your property is in safe hands.