Home Security: What sort of Burglar Alarm do I need?

Home Security should surely be one of your most important considerations for your property;  why fill your home with your personal effects and decorate it if the home can be so easily burgled? However, this is seldom the case, even though it so obviously makes more sense to have a security system fitted that will deter intruders and send them elsewhere in the first place.

This article is designed to give you an idea of the sort of burglar alarm protection you'll need in a private house.  It does not replace the advice of a professional security surveyor/system designer from a reputable security installer. The article will give you a degree of understanding and help you to discuss your home's security with a security professional.

It is commonly felt that the best way to protect residential property is by using trap protection. Trap protection is a strategy for protecting a property without fitting sensors in every room.

Statistics show that villains rarely break in through windows at the front of a house.  They are even less likely to stay in one room and leave through the same front window; they are more likely to go straight to the master bed room.  So fitting sensors in the rear rooms of the house and in the hallway is often considered sufficient for the ground floor.

Also as kitchens have heat sources (boilers, fridges, ovens, washing machines and such) and hard surfaces, they are generally considered unstable areas and rarely contain items of value.  Therefore, as a rule, a kitchen should not be protected with PIR.

Through our 40+ years of experience, we have learnt that even dual technology detectors are unsuitable for kitchens, as the microwave motion sensor will detect movement through glass, thin walls and will even be triggered by water moving in pipes.

There are various reasons for adopting a trap protection strategy. The first is to limit the false alarm potential of a system and the more detectors a property has, the higher the false alarm potential.  All detectors (even the top of the range ones) sometimes false alarm. These false alarms are becoming increasingly onerous due to the new hard line that Police Forces are taking regarding attendance. False alarms result in withdrawn Police attendance.

Another important factor is cost - using a good quality sensor would make it expensive to protect each room.

As external alarm boxes are a good deterrent, just having an alarm system installed by a recognized intruder alarm installer should deter most villains, whether they are opportunists or professionals.  After all, burglars don’t know whether or not your system is monitored by a central station who will alert the Police in the instance of an alarm - it's easier for them to go next door or somewhere that doesn't have an alarm system.

Burglar Alarms

Burglars, and indeed any intruders, are overwhelmingly deterred by a burglar alarm (or, as we say in the trade, an 'intruder alarm') more than any other form of home security. It is better to take preventative measures as opposed to the 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted'.  You are far more likely to be burgled if you have been burgled before. Villains are renowned for returning to the same properties.

Break-in's are a unfortunate fact of life. Being broken into in a residential property is obviously more distressing than a burglary in the work place and although vandalism is rare, the loss of sentimental artefacts can be most upsetting.

The most popular intruder detection devices are the PIR (Passive Infra-Red) detectors, magnetic reed contacts, breaking glass detectors, infra-red beams, pressure pads, case wiring, vibration detectors and dual technology sensors (sensors that combine Passive Infra-Red with Microwave or Ultrasonic detection).

Always  choose a company that has been awarded the prestigious NSI NACOSS Gold Medal. The Gold Medal is only awarded to companies who consistently  deliver an outstanding performance in security management. It is also prudent to choose companies that belong to the FSA.

National Security Inspectorate (NSI), formerly known as  NACOSS,  is an independent, not-for-profit approvals body  providing inspection services for the security and fire industries.

The Fire and Security Association (FSA), is the fastest growing representative body for companies that design, install, commission, maintain and monitor electronic fire and security systems.  The FSA’s  strapline is “Supporting the Profession to Safeguard the Client” and it is a specialist division of the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA).

Burglar Alarm Monitoring

For  complete peace of mind, many people choose to have their intruder alarms monitored. If an alarm is monitored, then, when it detects an  intruder it automatically sends a signal via the phone line and/or  cellular network to an ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre - these used to be  referred to as Central Stations or Monitoring Stations) and the appropriate action is taken.

New Police/Constabulary Service guidelines (the ACPO Policy on Response to Security – ACPO are the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland) state that the Police will now only attend monitored alarms that confirm alarm activations (unless installed pre October 2002).

Confirmation is received when a second detection device is triggered during the same intrusion; therefore, something is definitely on site and moving around.

On receiving the first activation, the ARC will notify a keyholder but if a second detection device is triggered in the same activation, this confirms to the ARC that ‘something’ is definitely on site and moving around, and the Police are instantly alerted.

For more information go to www.wirelessalarmsuk.com

Your home is your greatest asset.  Why leave it vulnerable when it clearly pays to have your house protected by security professionals.