Key Holding
Efficient Use of your
Alarm
An alarm system is purely a signalling device, and is only
as effective as the response to it. Where the keyholder
is the client themself or a member of the client's staff,
an alarm can often be left to ring for a great length of
time due to the unavailability of the keyholder. This allows
the criminal an excessive amount of time to achieve his
aims and defeats the purpose of having an alarm system in
the first place. By making use of a professional keyholding
service you can now have real security without exposing
either yourself or your staff to unnecessary risks.
How it Works?
In effect it is a 24 hour emergency call out service. Should
your alarm activate, a signal is recieved in the monitoring
centre. The controllor will then alert a radio controlled
alarm in LockUp Alarm's patrol vechicle of this emergency.
The driver, who already has a set of keys and site information,
gives immediate priority to attending the premises. He is
in a position to radio for back-up and other emergency services
or simply resecure the site as appropriate. Before departing
he will have completed a report form, the original of which
remains on the premises. If necessary printouts can be provided
showing details of the last 150 events in the log of the alarm
system.
Where does it Work?
The keyholding service is specifically designed to meet the
requirments of a residential or commericial premises. Apart
from false alarms - burglary, personal attack, fire and flood
are just some of the hazards that await a keyholder in an
alarm situation. Day workers being called out during business
hours are ill-equipped to handle whatever may await them.
The professional keyholding service means that specialists
are tackling your security problems as they happen.
LockUp Alarms Ltd. 24hr
service
Owners of business premises are required by the Gardai to
appoint an official keyholder, and notify the local Garda
Station of their name, address & telephone number. A keyholder's
function is to attend the premises in the event of an alarm
activation, provide access to the Gardai ot other emergency
services. Traditionally this person has been the proprietor
of the premises or a member of the proprietor's staff. Apart
from the inconvenience, it is reasonable to assume that a
person called out at night is not at his or her best the next
working day. In today's world it is neither safe nor sensible
for a person untrained and without communication facilities
to put themselves at risk. A professional keyholding service
can now be put in place very economically to provide the client
with complete peace of mind.
GARDA TO WITHDRAW RESPONSE FROM 31st JAN 2008
An Garda Síochána will only respond to commercial alarms that
have verification technology installed. Domestic alarms will
have their Garda response withdrawn following one false activation.
As LOCKUPALARMS have always used the most up to date technology
our maintenance customers were automatically converted to
comply with the Garda Policy AT NO EXTRA EXPENSE.
A new Garda policy was introduced on April 1st 2005. It
affects the handling of activations from your intruder alarm
system as the Gardai will now only respond to ‘verified’
alarms.
What is a verified
alarm?
A verified alarm is an alarm system that has sent in a
second signal to confirm the first activation. Many primary
signals are accidental as a result of weather or not switching
off an alarm in good time. The second, or ‘verifying’, signal
will narrow the probability of an activation being false.
The Gardaí will not accept a call from a Monitoring
Centre until a keyholder has been notified and given an
estimated time of arrival at the premises. The purpose of
the new policy is to reduce false alarms thereby enabling
the Gardai to respond to real activations more promptly.
All Commercial systems must have verification technology
installed prior
to January 1st 2007. After this date, residential systems
will have Garda
response withdrawn after one false alarm and will only be
reinstated when verification technology is installed.
If you need any advice on the above policy please do not
hesitate to call
us.
A copy of
the Garda Intruder Alarm Policy is available on www.garda.ie
