London Police implements new Verified Alarm Response Policy
As of 2018, The London Police will be following a new alarm response policy; that will put alarm response as a higher priority under certain conditions. This is good news for alarm owners with good coverage, a responsive call list, or video/audio verification.
There are four ways to obtain the verification required for police dispatch: audio, video, 3rd party, or multiple activation points. We will go into those in depth below; but before we do that, let’s review the old policy ‘FARP’ – False Alarm Reduction Policy. Under the OLD policy, all alarms were reported and the police would attend if a keyholder was able to meet them there, providing the police could attend within 30 minutes. If more than 30 minutes elapsed, the police dispatch would be called off. With the new policy, the police are going to attend all verified alarms. Because the alarm is verified, criminals may still be active when the police arrive, resulting in arrests. This is what we all want. The new policy is ‘VARP’ – Verified Alarm Response Program; essentially; police response to verified alarms.
The Four Types of Verification:
- Multiple activation points/sensors triggered, indicating the suspected criminal activity is or has taken place. How to achieve this: If your system has extensive coverage with multiple motion/glassbreak and contacts on doors and windows, you may already be set up for this method. If not you can add devices to vulnerable areas of your home or property IE more motions in a basement or main floor, additional contacts on vulnerable entry points such as windows.
- Confirmation made by an owner, keyholder, alternate response agency, or a witness on scene who can confirm the existence of a suspected criminal act. How to achieve this; have a good call list of willing responders including if possible, Professional Alarm Response. PAR is available for as little as $7.50 a month. To add this to your system, please contact our office systemsforlife@alarmtech.ca and specify $7.50 with no key OR $12.50 and you will provide a key to your home. This will be added to your monthly fees. Or call Progarde at 519-433-6693 to provide the key directly to them.
- Video that provides the monitoring station with the ability to confirm criminal activity through video information. How to achieve this: Video motion viewers can be added to existing systems or our full line of analogue or IP video cameras connected to an iView now ready video recorder – compatible with almost all security systems. Installation will vary greatly depending on the premises and we can enable it at the station for as little as $12.00 a month extra. Or, if you have an existing video system with remote connectivity, you can log into it yourself when an alarm is called into you by our operator and when video evidence is present, provide the information to the police directly that warrants police response.
- Microphones that provide the monitoring station with the ability to confirm criminal activity by the station opening up an audio channel after receiving an alarm signal. With the channel open the operator can listen or speak to the premises. How to achieve this: Two way voice via our Lynx or Lyric controllers with Internet or cellular communications paths can be enabled at the station for an extra $6.00 monthly. The system only opens the 2 way voice session after an alarm has been generated. e. Neither the station nor Alarmtech can listen in any other time (NOTE this isn’t available at present. The station is hoping for early February and Alarmtech will advise by future newsletters).
*Note that panic alarms are excluded from the need for verification.
For further information about Alarmtech’s products and services, please contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation at 519-434-3996 | 800-461-5800 | info@alarmtech.ca or fill out our online form request sales consultation.