FAQ- Burglar Alarms
Yesterday I got home from
work to find my neighbour camped on my doorstep ready to tackle me
about my burglar alarm that had gone off during the day. I did
apologise to avoid any further argument but really, what am I
expected to do if I am out at work - they admitted to not even
checking to see if we had been broken into!
Without getting on to my 'state of
today's society' soapbox too much I will simply say that this is a
sign of the times. How many times have you checked out a car on the
road with its alarm ringing?
Noise from intruder alarms is a
regular complaint to the Environmental Health Division and, is a
genuine problem for those who are powerless to escape the
continuous ringing. They are also an offence under the
Environmental Protection Act 1990, which deals with statutory noise
nuisance. To deal with these complaints we have a standard
procedure in place with the first priority to locate the homeowner,
or indeed the car owner for car alarms. This is not always easy and
even after contact with the police, your neighbours and the alarm
company we may still reach a dead end. Therefore if we receive a
complaint in the middle of the night the issue becomes more and
more complicated.
We do however have a number of
powers available to us. It is fair to say however, that these may
improve the chances of a good nights sleep for your neighbours, but
will unfortunately have an impact on your wallet. We will take
steps that are reasonably practicable to investigate and resolve
the complaint. Following investigation we are satisfied of
the existence of a statutory nuisance, a formal abatement notice
will be required to be served.
Of course, if you are away on
holiday or at work then this is most probably unachievable. At this
point we approach a magistrates court for a warrant and use this to
gain entry to your property. In most cases this means balancing a
ladder against the wall and climbing up to the alarm box where we
may snip the wires, disconnect the bell or use any other suitable
means. In some instances however gaining entry really is 'entry'.
In the course of our duty we have, in the past, had to climb
through or break windows, remove door panels and pick locks. We do
of course leave the property secure, but without an operating
alarm.
Back to your wallet ......
To ensure that we cause no
more damage than necessary we always employ a specialist
electrician, locksmith or indeed both, dependent upon the
circumstances. Any charges made by these specialists are then
passed to you, as is a standard charge for officer time; this total
charge is normally in the region of £200.00 and is additional to
any costs you have for the reconnection of your alarm.
You can however protect yourself
from these actions and associated costs. The Environmental Health
Division is conscious of the issues involved in the disconnection
of alarms and always does the most that it can to try and locate
you. By offering a free burglar alarm registration service we try
to make this whole process easier for everyone involved.
The registration scheme is simply a
confidential set of details about you and your property. All we ask
is that you provide daytime and night time details for yourself and
also the details of any nominated key holders who we can call in
cases of emergency and who have access to your property and your
alarm. In all cases of complaint this is our first information
source and can help prevent unnecessary action by us, and cost to
you.
In addition to the registration
scheme we also request that intruder alarms be fitted with a 20
minute cut out to prevent either continuous ringing or intermittent
activation. This is easily organised by an alarm company and in
most cases is fitted as standard; provided that you warn your
neighbours you can find this out for yourselves by simply
activating you alarm.
Registration forms are available on
the burglar alarm web page using the link below or by
contacting the team using the details on the right; you can even
fill one out over the phone. All details are kept strictly
confidential.
