Alarm Monitoring Services
What are Alarm Monitoring Services and Why Do You Need Them
An alarm monitoring service is the difference between coming home to a house that’s been ransacked and the intruders are long gone with very little way to identify them and…
The Police arriving in time to catch the thieves on the premises and say:
“You’re nicked!”
As well as the installation of security systems like burglar alarms and access control, Eastern Security offers a high-quality Police alarm monitoring service with our partner Southern Monitoring. Across London and Essex in the South East of England.
This service is completely compliant with Police rules, meaning they will attend should your alarm be triggered. In brief, compliant with Police rules means:
- Eastern are SSAIB approved for installation and maintenance of Burglar Alarms and CCTV
- Southern provide our monitoring station. They are an NSI Gold approved Alarm Receiving Centre
- Your intruder alarm can then be registered with the local Police. A URN (unique reference number) is provided.
The Police will not recommend a specific security company but advise that you should use approved suppliers. To check a security company is approved you need to visit the SSAIB and NSI websites – we encourage you to do this.
How much does it cost to have alarm systems monitored?
How much would you expect to pay to have someone watching over your home when it was empty? And as you and your family slept soundly?
Somewhere in the region of a security guard’s salary? A lot of people think the price of monitored alarm systems puts it out of their reach but…
We have some VERY good news! Eastern’s monthly fees to monitor your security systems start at less than the price of:
- a takeaway pizza meal, or
- a manicure, or
- a round of golf
That’s the best value peace of mind you’ll find anywhere. Fill your details in the form to get your personalised quote today!
GET YOUR MONITORED ALARM QUOTE
Police Rules – will they respond to my burglar alarm?
A few years back, the Metropolitan Police reported that nationally 92% of intruder alarm calls were false!
To ensure they respond to only genuine calls, the Police force work to strict rules created by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
First, they categorise burglar alarms into two types:
Type A burglar alarms are compliant. Installed, maintained and monitored by approved companies. The Police will respond with the assumption that a crime is taking place.
Type B burglar alarms have no guarantee of Police response! To attend, the Police require supporting evidence of a crime taking place – a call from a member of the public at the scene.
The likelihood is that no-one will bother to ring Police and report an alarm going off. Think about it – when was the last time you did?
Second, they look at the number of false alarms from a particular property – home or business.
False Alarms – The Implications
Police resources are tight so, in order to keep your URN and response to your monitored alarm, maintenance is a must. Badly maintained and neglected alarms cause false alerts that waste time and money.
The consequences of breaking these Police rules are:
- 2 false calls in a rolling 12 months – the Police will write and advise remedial action
- Failure to take remedial action – total loss of URN and automatic Police response
- 3 false calls in a rolling 12 month period – total loss of URN and automatic response by the Police
Not to mention the irritation of your neighbours!
Whether it’s a home alarm or a commercial security system that is disturbing the peace, repeated false alarms are going to upset the residents of surrounding properties.
And your nuisance noise could be reported to the local council for anti-social behaviour.
What you need to know about maintaining and monitoring your intruder alarm system
If you want to be certain the Police will attend when your alarm is triggered, there is one critical thing you need to have in place. Your security system needs to be covered by a monitoring and maintenance package from a properly approved company. Like Eastern Security Ltd who:
- have SSAIB approval
- are registered as compliant with the local Police
- meet the NPCC policy requirements for Monitored alarm systems
How are security systems monitored?
To start with it’s not just your intruder alarms, it could be any of your security systems – your CCTV or your access control.
For home or business… whatever triggers the alert, your alarm system sends a signal when it’s activated. This signal goes to an Alarm Receiving Centre that is available 24/7/365. It’s like having a security guard that never takes lunch breaks or holidays!
Once the operator at the monitoring station has confirmed that the break in is genuine, keyholders and the Police are called. See our graphic below…
Why should you choose Eastern Security Ltd for alarm monitoring in London and Essex?
Eastern Security Ltd are SSAIB accredited. This means we comply with Police policy across the board for security system maintenance and monitoring. We also meet the ACPO policy requirements for monitored alarm systems
It’s your guarantee that you can trust us completely. We can
- design,
- install,
- maintain and
- monitor your home alarm system or business burglar alarm.
We work all over Essex and the South East. Our engineers are highly trained and qualified. They’re also polite and tidy as they work – just check our reviews!
Even if we didn’t install your alarm system, get in touch with our team and find out if we can take over the maintenance and monitoring.
Just get in touch by filling out the form below and one of our friendly professionals will get back to you ASAP!
GET YOUR QUOTE
Eastern Security: making Southend and the whole of Essex a safer place to live
Eastern Security serves the whole of Essex (and parts of London) from their HQ in Southend-on-Sea, the home of the longest pier in the world!
This includes Colchester (the oldest town in Britain), Chelmsford (our county town), Basildon (one of the early new towns built in 1949), Rayleigh (with its traditional high street) and Grays (home to Tilbury Docks a major hub for shipping).
But also prosperous Brentwood, seaside town Clacton on Sea (with a shorter pier) and Canvey Island… the largest island in Essex!
Essex Police Police have their work cut out…
…to cover the 1,404 square miles of Essex county. Because the Crimerate website says Essex is the 20th most criminal county in England, Wales & Northern Ireland!
Basildon suffers the most crime. With Clacton-on-Sea and Harlow following. While Billericay ranks as the safest town followed by Rayleigh then Wickford.
Isn’t it time you took steps to improve the security of your home or business premises?
Get in touch with Eastern for a free site survey and tailored security solutions to solve your business security issues… within your budget!
Covering the whole of Essex… and beyond!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Security System Monitoring for my commercial or home alarm systems?
Life is often unpredictable. And not always in a good way. Events can suddenly turn your world upside down. Such as thieves breaking into your home. Or your business premises.
As a precaution, your home security may already include a burglar alarm. And quite possibly CCTV systems, too. Ensuring everything is protected.
But, what happens when no one is there to respond to an alarm? An intruder has breached your access control and got onto your property. Then they make it into your building.
The sensors have picked up the intruders. Your bell box is ringing away but there is no one nearby who can hear it or who is willing to respond.
And live CCTV pictures are of little use if there’s no one there to see a crime in progress and take action.
The answer is to have your access control systems, CCTV cameras and intruder alarms monitored remotely. This keeps insurance companies happy too!
How much does it cost to monitor a security system?
A lot of people think the price of monitoring their security system would put it out of their reach but… Eastern’s monthly fees for this vital peace of mind are far less than you would think. Are you wondering whether your intruder alarms or CCTV systems would benefit from a watchful eye on them 24/7. Fill in the form to get your personalised quote today.
How do I find a reputable security monitoring company?
Whether it’s for home security systems or commercial premises, you should choose both your maintenance AND monitoring companies with the right accreditations.
Eastern Security is SSAIB approved for installation and maintenance of Burglar Alarms and CCTV AND our monitoring service is from Southern, who are NSI Gold approved. This means that YOUR security system can be registered with the local Police. And get a unique reference number (URN)
Do you offer an accredited maintenance service for security systems?
Yes, we offer a comprehensive maintenance service for both domestic and commercial alarm systems. And CCTV camera systems as well. Our team of experienced engineers is on hand to deal with any technical issues you may have, and we’ll try to fix them on the same day. If humanly possible, we will!
What happens if my intruder alarm goes off?
Long gone are the days of automatic Police response.
If your intruder alarm system goes off, our 24/7 monitoring service will confirm whether it is a genuine alarm. If so, they will contact the emergency services and your designated keyholder.
If you don’t have a monitoring contract and you have a smart alarm system, you or your keyholders will receive a notification on your mobile phone. And then you will have to deal with the event. Genuine or false! This can be extremely traumatic at worst OR an inconvenience at best.
If you don’t have a monitoring contract OR a smart alarm system, you won’t find out until you return to your property.
Why should I trust Eastern? Do you have any relevant accreditations?
Yes, we are accredited by the SSAIB (Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board) for the design, installation and maintenance of commercial alarm systems. This means that our systems meet the highest standards in the industry and we are regularly audited to make sure they continue to do so. We’ve got a long track record dating back to 1980 as Dependabel and from 2000 as Eastern Security. We can also offer 24/7 monitoring services through our NSI Gold Alarm Receiving Centre partner, Southern Monitoring.
While our testimonials speak for themselves. Very loudly!