Security Alarm from Banham
Let Banham take the stress out of any required insurance compliance with our system design consultants, ensuring you have not only the right system for your needs, but also that it complies with the relevant standards.
Compliance with the ACPO Policy and DD243
In an effort to reduce the number of calls for Police to attend sites where alternative response measures could have been arranged, the Association of Chief Police Offi cers (ACPO) have introduced certain design and operational requirements in order to help relieve Police resources, and wasted visits to false alarms. In brief, these requirements cover three separate aspects of the intruder alarm, which are as follows:-
Alarm Unsetting
Statistics suggest that 94% of Police visits to site are generated by incorrect operation of the alarm keypad. In order to combat this problem ACPO insist that all systems must be unset via a single action method, such as a keyfob or keyswitch. We recommend the proximity keyfob as being the most user friendly and effi cient of the available options. Clients who are unconvinced that this requirement is workable for them and who at point of survey insist upon designing the system for code number operation must understand that:-
A. Where an intrusion occurs via a fi nal exit, all means of alarm confi rmation will be isolated. This means that the whole property will be vulnerable with the only action available being that of keyholder response.
B. Systems of a similar design, but with keyfob operation, will only have entry/exit routes devices disabled. All other devices are then available to provide the first and second activation necessary to support the confirmed alarm signal.
Confirmed Alarm Signals
Since the introduction of the October 2001 ACPO Policy all new intruder alarm systems connected to the ARC must be designed to provide a confi rmed alarm signal before the Police will respond.
This means that the system must generate two independent alarm activations before the call can be passed to the Police as a confi rmed alarm. Banham achieve a confi rmed alarm signal by using a sequential format i.e. two devices activating in sequence. We fi nd this to be the most user friendly means of conforming with the ACPO Policy DD243.
Compliance with the ACPO Policy and DD243
Police Response to Intruder Alarms ACPO categorise all monitored intruder alarms into the following response levels:-
Immediate Response.
The Police will attend on the assumption that an off ence is taking place, but against a background of competing urgent calls and available Police resources.
No Police attendance.
Following two false Hold up / Panic Alarms or three false confirmed Intruder Alarms within a 12 month period, the occupier will be advised by the Police that the system will have response withdrawn to this particular signal (Hold up / Panic or Intruder Alarm). Response will be reinstated once the following conditions have been met.
The Police will require a written application from Banham Alarms supported by evidence that the system has been free of false alarms for three (3) months, and the cause of the false alarms has been rectified.
As an alternative to the lack of Police response and subject to approval by insurers, it is possible to employ a professional key holding company in the event of alarm activations and in the absence of Police response. For further details please contact our subsidiary company, CMS Keyholding on 020 7627 0344. They can off er a guaranteed response with the added peace of mind that whatever the circumstances on site, their key guard will co-ordinate matters and ensure the continued security of the premises.
ACPO demand that a site safety hazard letter is signed and returned by the client advising them of any known or potential site hazards which may endanger the safety of any offi cers who attend site. Application for a Unique Reference Number (URN) will begin once this has been received together with payment of the Police charge.