Here at Sonitrol Western Canada, we get lots of new customers who've recently had a bad experience, from a break-in or some other type of business crime. They were victims of not only a crime but also a conventional and inadequate alarm system.
There’s a good chance that the result of that encounter included them being notified of the loss long after the thieves had left the premises, possibly even the next day when an employee noticed some physical damage on arrival st the store in the morning.
A big concern in our industry that continues to get attention is the significant number of false alarms and specifically the impact false alarms have on law enforcement resources.
The result of this concern is having its logical effect. The response time in cases where an alarm lacks true verification technology is not the same as those where a verified alarm exists.
That “response time differential,” as it turns out, can be quite significant.
Data shows that alarm systems that have verified surveillance systems, results in a police response that is faster, a key difference when it comes to reducing claims resulting from property crime.
In Vancouver, for example, a traditional alarm could take 39 minutes, 25 seconds to see a police presence. And a video verified alarm, on the other hand, has produced a police response in 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
Again, time is of the essence when the issue of police response is involved.
Essentially, a verified alarm system becomes a “virtual eyewitness” to a crime that is in progress, which greatly increases the likelihood of police presence making a difference, and how quickly law enforcement responds.
For insurance companies who accept the risk associated with the reality of property loss from crime, the key takeaway is being able to understand the increasing importance of a verified alarm system.
To the business owner, there’s an inherent comfort in having the practical confidence that their business is under “watchful eyes” even when they can’t be there to check on things themselves.