Burglar Alarm Grades. What You Should Know And Why Essex Residents Should Care!

Did you know there are different burglar alarm Grades? Not all systems are the same! Every home or business has different needs and there are different grades of alarm to match these.

The Grade of your burglar alarm system may be particularly important if you are depending on the alarm system for insurance cover. Your insurers may specify a particular Grade of system or aspect of design. As a rule of thumb, the safer the part of Essex you live in, the higher the limit you are allowed for contents or valuables insured before an alarm becomes a requirement.

Having the right burglar alarm Grade can also help you lower your premiums!

Your installer will decide which Grade of intruder alarm system is best for you by carrying out a Risk Assessment.

What is a Risk Assessment for an intruder alarm system?

When an SSAIB installer like Eastern Security gathers the information necessary to design a suitable alarm system for your business or home, s/he will carry out a Risk Assessment.

This Risk Assessment is made up of:

1. The Location Survey, which looks at:

• which town your home or business is based in;
• the fabric and structure of the building;
• how difficult or easy it might be to get into it;
• break in history; and
• the level of physical security.
• PLUS the level of security required based on the total value of the building’s contents (jewellery and electrical goods, etc).

2. The Technical Survey, which considers factors that may influence the design of the system. Things like electrical interference from a local plant or machinery.

Burglar Alarm Grades

Intruder Alarm systems in the UK have to conform to the European Standards classifications.

BS EN 50131-1:2006+A3:2020 defines four grades of alarm system, measuring how resilient the system is to attacks by intruders and other outside influences. Grade 1 is the lowest and Grade 4 is the highest.

Grade 1 – Low risk. If you install the lowest grade of alarm system, you are hoping that your burglar is an opportunist who knows little about alarms and would not have the specialist tools required to disarm one. Eastern do not use this type of system.

Grade 2 – Low to Medium Risk. This is the lowest type of alarm system that Eastern would consider installing. Most homes and a large number of small business premises come under this category. This installation assumes that the burglar is not just a passer by. And that s/he may come to the property with some specialist equipment and other tools, as well as a working knowledge of alarms and access points.

Grade 3 – Medium to High Risk. Some larger, high value homes and more complex businesses will require this type of system. Any thieves will be interested in the property because they know it contains items of high value. This system will protect against an intruder who knows what s/he is doing and has come prepared to break in. S/he will know the alarm system. And have a range of appropriate tools and portable electronic equipment to be able to disable the system.

Remote monitoring of any system is recommended, with landline signalling and also radio for back up. If an alarm is a requirement of insurance cover, the majority of insurance companies will require a Grade 3 system.

Grade 4 – High Risk requires the highest Grade of alarm system. It is used when the security of your property is more important than either cost or convenience. Think banks, jewellers, museums or art galleries. It assumes that any intruder will have a detailed plan for the burglary and all the sophisticated equipment necessary to disable your system

Getting the right alarm system for your Essex home or business

Eastern Security is SSAIB approved. This means you can be sure that an experienced expert is carrying out your Risk Assessment, before designing and installing your security system. And that you’ll be getting the burglar alarm Grade that is right for you!

We work all over Essex and parts of London. Just complete the form below and someone will call you back to arrange a free site survey.