NSW POLICE FORCE ‘False Alarm’ FINES

The NSW Police Force have recently released measures to combat the 98% false alarm problems causing police resources to be strained in responding to reported burglar alarm activations. The attached letter from the NSW Police Force shows that measures of only police responding to remote video or visually verified alarms has over the past 12 months reduced the number of alarms reported to the police by 65% equating to 52000 alarms responses. Of the 28000 alarms that police did respond to throughout 2009, only 6% of these were genuine. As a result the NSW Police Force are introducing a $200 fine for those generating a false alarm call out fee that is likely to rise with time to match the $800 false fire alarm callout.

ISSUE

In the past 25 years the burglar alarm has become an enemy to itself and in turn a nuisance to the police on 98% of occasions, with a conservative 98% false alarm rate. This has resulted in a ‘Boy who cried wolf’ syndrome where the only financial benefactors are the security guard companies responding to these alarms.

This conundrum is preventing police from being able to effectively and efficiently respond to ‘real’ burglar alarm activations and as a result police are using the only ability that they have to effect the reporting of only ‘real’ alarms by demanding video or visual verification of alarms prior to their deployment. In the case that police resources are recklessly deployed to false alarms, then a fine ensues.

Whilst technologies have evolved, the humble burglar alarm technologies typically offer nothing more than an ‘alert’. As a result of the false alarm problems throughout Europe and the US, police have adopted similar ‘false alarm’ fines as we are now seeing introduced in Australia. New technologies from Europe, to meet police requirements, have now emerged in Australia in the form of video alarm systems. However, fundamentally these technologies threaten the multimillion dollar industries based on the inefficiencies of the old traditional non video alarm systems through guard response and patrols, which may in turn make some security companies hesitate before promoting such technologies.

SOLUTION:

Throughout the US and Europe companies have adopted video alarm technologies, and in fact are creating new businesses that are centered on video alarms ie Police Priority https://www.universalmonitoring.com/index.php/police-priority.html go to bottom of page to view the police priority advertisement on how the system works.

Similarly in Australia security companies are being created to promote new such video alarm technology solutions at similar a price to a standard traditional alarm system

These video alarm security companies are bucking the trend of generating passive income from guard callouts to false alarms, and in fact are enabling police to effect arrests to reported alarm activations. In Australia alone the Videofied – video burglar alarm system has enabled police to make 98 arrests in the past 12 months through rapid deployment of police to verified alarms.

Video Alarm System Video alarm systems can be offered for use in homes and businesses at prices similar to those of a traditional standard alarm system. The latest video alarm technologies - Videofied have motion detectors and night vision video cameras built in so that every time there is a burglar alarm detection, a 10 second video clip of the intrusion is immediately transmitted to the security control room (back to base) where the operator can immediately see what has caused that alarm detection and upon video verification, deploy the police to a ‘video verified alarm’. In some cases police have responded with multiple police cars, helicopters and police dogs to apprehend offenders in the act. The home and business owners are actually saving money using these wireless Videofied technologies because they do not need to pay for a phone line rental ($29 per month) and the system uses data instead of making phone calls to report alarm information. Obvious cost saving s to businesses are for guard call outs ranging from $55 - $130 per call out and with Videofied Outdoor motion detector camera, there is even no need for costly guard patrols which can cost hundreds of dollars per week.

Most importantly, police have been more than willing to urgently respond to such ‘video verified’ alarms, and in fact these video verified alarm systems are enabling police to get back into the business of alarm response.

Actual videos of Videofied video alarm system intrusions can be viewed at the following link http://www.videofied.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=40&Itemid=18

http://videofied.com/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=detail&catid=3%3Avideos-dincidents-reels&id=1011%3Afenced-perimeter&tmpl=component&Itemid=1731&lang=en

CRIME PATTERNS and STATISTICS

The Australian Attorney Generals Department have published Australian and International statistics that are astounding. In short the likelihood of a repeat burglary within one week is 12 times the expected rate, declining to twice at six months; half of all second victimizations occurring within one month, actually occur within seven (7) days.

Overall 20% of residential burglaries are repeats, repeats occur relatively quickly after the first, one quarter to half of repeat burglaries happen within a month of the initial burglary, often within one week.

Risk Profile:

Repeat victimization of burglary diminishes markedly over time; between ¼ to ½ of repeat residential burglaries occur within the first month of the first incident.

Residential Burglaries:

40% of all crimes are repeats

2% of all property crime account for 41% of incidents

20% of victims accounted for 81% of incidents in 1992

1/3 of victims for household property crime are repeat offences

33% of repeat burglaries occurred within one month, 11% within one week

Business Burglaries:

17% of business victims experience 69% of burglaries

40% of business burglaries experience a repeat burglary after the first incident, 48% of these experience another burglary

34% of repeat victims experience more than 3 incidents

43% of repeat burglaries occurred within one month, 17% within one week

Industrial Burglaries:

46% of industrial estate burglaries experienced a repeat burglary

74% were repeat victims 26% experienced more than 3 or more burglaries

Schools:

461% were repeat crimes where 10% mostly victimized schools accounted for 37% of all property crime

SUMMARY:

28-51% of repeat burglaries occur within one month of initial burglary

11-25% within one week with repeat rates generally higher for commercial than for residential

Reference

http://www.crimeprevention.gov.au/agd/www/Ncphome.nsf/Page/RWP4B1DABA3CB906779CA256BE5000755C2?OpenDocument