The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) has obtained a “substantial” Government grant from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTi) to commission research into the true causes of false alarm activations.
To be undertaken with the full support of the BSIA, the research (to be carried out on an independent basis by a team headed up by Professor Martin Gill of Perpetuity Research Consultancy International) will be conducted nationally, but with a particular focus on the Midlands. The West Midlands Police, which has already established a robust stance on false alarms, is a key supporter of the project.
It’s estimated that false intruder alarm activations cost the public in excess of GB pound 350 million every year. Much of this is through the misuse of police time, leading to a less effective deployment of police resources than we’d all wish to see. Typically, only one-in-ten alarm activations is genuine, while only one-in-ten of those activations result in an immediate arrest (an overall success rate of just 1%).
Depending on who makes them, there are a variety of differing claims as to the major reasons for false alarms. Many commentators, of course, pinpoint end user error. To date, there has been little in the way of extensive research to properly quantify the problem and – more importantly, perhaps – recommend measures that may remedy it in both the short and longer term.
According to an official statement on the project, the NSI research has already gained the support of leading NACOSS installers and Alarm Receiving Centres across the country. The main part of the research should be concluded by next April, with preliminary results issued to the industry at large shortly afterwards.
“There’s been much discussion concerning the causes of false alarms, but no agreement on the subject,” said NSI chief executive Tom Mullarkey. “DD243:2002 is already having an impact on the reduction of false activations, but we need to do more on establishing and eliminating the underlying causes.”
