Security alarms are an extremely effective way to make your home safe. Often merely the presence of an alarm box will be enough to deter burglars. When it comes to choosing the type of alarm to get, there are a few key things you need to consider. Although wire-free alarms are certainly the cheaper option, they are not always as reliable and usually do not conform to the National Police Chiefs Council Security Systems Policy.

Something that’s worth bearing in mind is that the type of alarm you get will affect the police response when it’s triggered. A huge amount of calls to the police for burglaries are due to alarms being set off because of user error or equipment failure. To deal with this issue, there are now two categories of alarms, each coming with a different type of police response.

Type A alarms

Type A alarms, known as Remote Signalling Alarms, are used and maintained in accordance with British Standards and will be registered with the police and have a URN (Unique Reference Number) to identify where the signal is coming from. The police will usually treat signals from Type A alarms with priority and assume that an attack is taking place. This is however dependent on the number of false alarms there have been from the property within a 12 month period.

If you do get a Type A alarm, then it’s extremely important that a reputable company fits it. Some important questions to ask yourself are –

• Does your insurer provider approve of the company?
• Is the company vetted, and if so, by whom?
• Have you got quotes
• Does the company have an emergency call out service?

Type B alarms

Type B alarms are audible only, meaning they do not come with a URN or any automatic police response. Instead, the police will need to be called either by yourself, a family member or somebody nearby. This of course makes them less secure than Type A alarms, particularly in the case of an armed/violent armed burglary. Type B alarms are cheaper than Type A and you don’t need to find a compliant company to fit them. However it’s worth asking yourself if the saved money is worth it.

Remember

• Type A alarms come with an automatic police response
• If you get a Type A alarm, make sure the company fitting it is reputable
• False alarms will reduce the priority of the police response