FAQs

PSNI closely follow the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) policies on intruder alarms. These policies do not permit customers to switch alarm systems back on after an alarm call has been passed to the Police until either: (a) the customer knows why the alarm system activated and can ensure that it will not re-occur (b) an alarm engineer has visited the premises to rectify the cause of the alarm activation. This is to reduce the number of unwanted (false) alarms calls to the Police.

If you have had an 'unconfirmed' alarm call which has not been passed to the Police, you can reset it yourself and switch the system back on. However we would recommend that if you are not sure of the cause of the alarm activation, you arrange for a qualified service engineer to inspect the system as soon as possible.

Upon activation, your alarm will initially signal to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). The ARC will then either alert the Police and /or the keyholders for the premises depending on the type of alarm signal which has been received.

The Police do not allow alarm systems to automatically dial the 999 operator.

Until recently, an alarm system typically signalled alarm calls to the Police (via an Alarm Receiving Centre, ARC) using a digital communicator.

The digital communicator dialled a pre-determined telephone number and transmitted a coded signal to the ARC. This was 'single path' signalling and if the telephone line was faulty, or was tampered with, the alarm could not signal to the ARC and only the local sounders would sound. If using BT Standard RedCare damage to, or disconnection of, the telephone line would indicate a 'line fault' at the ARC but further signals would not be transmitted until the line was restored.

'Dual path' signalling was developed to provide a more secure method of signalling. It uses two separate transmission paths, typically wireless and broadband/telephone line.

If one of the paths develops a fault, the other path is available to transmit any alarm signals.

'Dual path' high security signalling is now normally the only signalling system which is acceptable to insurance companies.

Yes, provided that you are in an area where you can send and receive messages over a GPRS mobile phone network and you have a telephone line or broadband connection (direct or via a network).

Call our office at 028 9034 2233 and arrange to talk to one of our Security Consultants who will discuss the upgrading with you and provide you with details of available options.

Note: a site survey to ascertain GPRS signal strength will be required.

It is the acronym for a Unique Reference Number. URNs are issued by the PSNI to a premises which has a 'police calling' alarm system. Anyone writing to the Police about an alarm system must quote the URN which refers to the building in question.