23

Sep
2015

RCMP Requires Alarm Verification

September 23rd, 2015 | by admin admin | in Security Advice |    2   

As of September 1, the RCMP’s Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment—serving Chilliwack, Hope Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs and Boston Bar—have changed how they respond to false alarms. Police in these areas now require all property alarms to be verified before they take action. It is only a matter of time before other municipalities in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley follow suit.

Why? Because false alarms waste valuable police resources.

In 2013, Surrey RCMP received 10,149 alarm calls. Of those calls, 9,337--or 92 per cent--were false.

According to Craig Steckler, former president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, “Based on all studies, 95 to 99 per cent of all activations are false…is this a wise use of scarce police resources?”

He adds that false alarms account for 10 per cent of all calls for police service.

Robert Baxter, a director of the Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response (PPVAR) agrees, “Too often, keyholders are unfamiliar with the security system and accidentally set off the alarm.”

Responding to false alarms drains tax dollars. Surrey RCMP spent more than 3,500 hours of general duty constable time responding to false alarms in 2013. That works out to the cost of just over two general duty constables a year.

Although Surrey, Vancouver and other Lower Mainland municipalities currently do not officially require alarm verification, it only makes sense that all police departments assign verified alarms higher priority. If you can verify your security alarm signals a crime in progress, police will respond faster, usually within minutes. And the chances of apprehending a suspect go up significantly.

To prevent false alarms, police recommend that you learn how to operate your security system properly, test it regularly and have property representatives available to respond to any incidents. Most importantly, monitored systems are far more effective than merely audible alarms. When was the last time you responded to someone’s car alarm?

Radius’ security personnel, for example, can monitor your property remotely from our central operating station in Richmond. Our video analytics software tracks suspicious activity and alerts our staff. These and other video monitoring solutions can send clips of crimes in progress to our security professionals, clients and police. With verified alarms, apprehension rates can go from one per cent to as much as 20 per cent.

To learn more about how video alarm verification can better protect your property, contact Radius or check out our new video surveillance web site.

Note: This blog discusses general safety and security topics. It is not intended to provide comprehensive advice or guidance. In all matters of personal safety and security, we encourage readers to research topics in depth and consult a security professional about specific concerns.

Radius Security Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Ladner, Delta, Tsawwassen

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