Response alarms: should you use the police or professional security response?

Keeping your business premises secure is always a top priority and the main reason for installing a security alarm system. But, you may not have considered which response service best suits your needs. Businesses typically have two options: a police response or a professional security response.

While both have advantages and disadvantages, one type of response might best suit your requirements. Let’s take a look at both response services to help you weigh up your options.

Choosing a professional security response

There are several advantages to using a professional security response service, like the experts at Stonewall Security, including:

Offer a complete package: beyond responding to alarms, a professional security company can also provide other services such as regular patrols, key holding and CCTV monitoring. With that in mind, professional security teams, like ours here at Stonewall Security, can respond efficiently once an alarm is triggered – helping to prevent any further damage to the property or business.
Fully trained professionals: our team is all SIA-licenced and fully trained, which means we are fully equipped with the required expertise to confidently tackle alarm responses.
Proactive, not reactive: hiring a professional team means you are proactively preparing your security, ahead of such incidents from taking place.
24/7, 365 days a year: at Stonewall Security, we offer our services 24/7, 365 days a year. This means our clients have peace of mind knowing their premises is protected round the clock.
Faster, guaranteed response: as a dedicated service to monitor and respond to alarms, a professional security company can often guarantee faster response times.
A bespoke service: a professional security team will tailor their service to your business. This means that they will know your premises and your company, rather than the police, who are likely to offer a more generic response.

The disadvantages of a professional security response include:

Cost: There will be a cost involved in using a professional security response, but it will also give you peace of mind that help and support will be there quickly in the event of a break-in.
Cannot detain or arrest intruders: a professional security response cannot arrest or detain criminals.

Using police security response

Likewise, choosing a police security response for your alarm system has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:

Immediate involvement of law enforcement: the police have the power to arrest and detain intruders, and their presence can provide a strong deterrent against criminal activity
No additional costs: a police response is free of charge, although this might mean the service isn’t necessarily as quick as a professional security team.
Enhances police visibility in the community: choosing a police security response can increase police presence in the local area and enhance the sense of security.

While the disadvantages of a police security response include the following:

It may take longer to respond: the police response time can vary depending on the location and also at peak times. There can be delays in the police attending your premises when your alarm has gone off.
False alarms may make you a lower priority: alarms can go off for all sorts of reasons, and frequent false alarms may reduce your priority in the future.
Can only deal with law enforcement: When police respond to your alarm, they can only deal with the law enforcement side of the response. They cannot help with technical issues in your security system.

Are you ready to explore professional response alarm packages?

Both response options can be advantageous for helping to secure your business premises. When choosing which one to use, consider your location, budget and needs to help you evaluate each option. Ensuring the safety of your business premises is vital, and choosing the right response service can help you improve your business security posture.

Taking advantage of our alarm response and key holding services means you can sleep easy knowing that if any sudden emergencies or incidents occur, they are in trusted and reliable hands.

Stonewall Security is on hand to send an SIA-licenced and fully-trained security professional to respond to your activated alarm 24/7, 365 days a year – even in the middle of the night. If you have any questions or want to discuss your requirements, please get in touch.

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