Intruder Alarm Confirmation

In accordance with the ACPO Policy, all new systems will only receive a Police response to activations that are ‘Confirmed’. It is no longer acceptable to the Police to attend upon the activation of a single detector in a building (known as an ‘Unconfirmed’ event) but requires some form of supporting evidence.

In consideration of this it is vital that a system is professionally designed to ensure that a break-in will create a ‘Confirmed’ event to ensure a Police attendance. Similarly it is vital that the correct form of confirmation technology is employed to suit the premises being protected.

There are 3 types of intruder alarm confirmation: Sequential, Audio and Visual.

Sequential Confirmation

Sequential confirmation is the most common form of confirmation and is the most effective if a system has been professionally designed. Sequential Confirmation occurs when 2 separate detection devices detect an intruder within 60 minutes of each other. For example, this may typically be the triggering of a magnetic reed contact when an external door is opened, followed by a passive infra-red movement sensor detecting movement inside the building, or it could be 2 sensors either in adjacent rooms or in the same room picking up movement. In the case of a system that has 2 signal paths to the ARC, losing one of the monitored paths would count as the first activation n.b if the telephone line is cut and one detector is triggered, this would be a confirmed alarm.

Audio Confirmation

Audio confirmation works by using microphone technology. Tiny, highly sensitive microphones enable the Alarm Receiving Centre to listen for suspicious noises.

For privacy reasons the microphones are only active when the intruder alarm is switched on. If someone breaks into the property, the Alarm Receiving Centre can listen in to what happened immediately before, during, and after the break-in to provide audible confirmation that there is an intruder in the property. With an audible confirming system, any sounders are disabled while the ARC is listening in.

Visual Confirmation

Visual confirmation works in the same way as audible confirmation but uses CCTV cameras instead of microphones, enabling the ARC staff to see (instead of hear) what has caused the activation. This can either be achieved by small lenses being incorporated within the movement sensors or through integrating the intruder alarm with a professional CCTV system (this may be an existing system).

Visual confirmation often the most expensive and it is vital that both the CCTV system and the intruder alarm system are designed professionally and in conjunction with each other.