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Why do High‑Risk Businesses Need Verified Security Instead of Conventional Alarms?

Answer: Because conventional alarms cannot detect the type of break‑ins criminals are using today, especially attacks through walls, ceilings, or blind‑spot entry points. The Nanaimo gold and silver retailer that suffered 27 successful break‑ins is a clear example of this failure.

The thieves didn’t use the front door. They used a sledgehammer and a grinder to cut a hole through an exterior wall, bypassing every door contact and motion sensor inside the store. No verified detection meant no real-time alert, no police response, and no evidence strong enough for insurance. After nearly thirty incidents, the business lost its coverage entirely.

Traditional alarms only activate after entry, and even then only if a monitored sensor is triggered. They cannot hear forced entry. They cannot register cutting, drilling, or wall breaches. They cannot distinguish real threats from false alarms. This is why police departments across Western Canada now prioritize verified alarms, and often deprioritize unverified ones.

A Sonitrol Verified Security system works differently. Using Active Audio detection, Sonitrol can identify the sounds of forced entry the moment they begin, even through solid walls or ceilings. The monitoring centre receives real-time audio of the break‑in and can verify to police that a crime is in progress. Verified alarms receive Priority 1 status, which results in faster response and high apprehension rates.

For high‑value and high‑risk businesses, such as precious metal shops, jewelry stores, cannabis retailers, electronics dealers, or any operation with fast‑moving inventory, this difference is critical. Conventional alarms may record the crime. Verified alarms stop it.

What Sonitrol Provides That Conventional Systems Cannot:

  • Real-time detection of forced entry before the intruder gains access
  • Audio verification that police trust and act on immediately
  • Priority 1 dispatch instead of delayed or ignored alarm calls
  • A deterrent effect, because thieves know Sonitrol sites lead to arrests
  • Insurance-friendly security that prevents cancellations and denied claims

Traditional alarms react. Sonitrol prevents. For high-risk businesses, the distinction is the difference between a break-in becoming a story, or becoming break-in #27.