by amy lanning
A Yorkshire retailer is furious that police weren't alerted when robbers broke into his store, despite the fact that thieves triggered an alarm during the raid.
Robbers targeted Barrie Syemour's Londis store in Littletown, West Yorkshire, in the early hours of Thursday July 10, stealing £4,000-worth of cigarettes. However, because they came in and out of the front window they only triggered a single sensor meaning it was classified as an "unconfirmed alarm". Alarm supplier Chubb Security alerted Barrie but not the police, as they are informed only if two alarms are set off - something Barrie only discovered after the incident.
He is now having a sensor fitted to the tobacco gantry and warns all retailers to be aware of the two-alarms policy. He told C-Store: "Most retailers probably aren't aware of this rule. If they'd told me, I would have had an alarm set up on my gantry or a sensor covering the whole store."
By the time Barrie had arrived at the store, a passing patrol car had by chance noticed the break in. He said: "The police were livid that the security company hadn't called them because they've been after these guys for ages."
Alex Carmichael, technical director of the British Security Industry Association, said that the two alarm rule was actually requested by police, explaining that it was Association of Chief Police Officers' Security Systems policy that a police response can only be summoned to a confirmed alarm where two or more detectors have been activated.
"The policy states this due
to the risk of false alarms occurring if only one detector is activated and therefore
a police response would
be summoned unnecessarily," he added.
A Yorkshire retailer is furious that police weren't alerted when robbers broke into his store, despite the fact that thieves triggered an alarm during the raid.
Robbers targeted Barrie Syemour's Londis store in Littletown, West Yorkshire, in the early hours of Thursday July 10, stealing £4,000-worth of cigarettes. However, because they came in and out of the front window they only triggered a single sensor meaning it was classified as an "unconfirmed alarm". Alarm supplier Chubb Security alerted Barrie but not the police, as they are informed only if two alarms are set off - something Barrie only discovered after the incident.
He is now having a sensor fitted to the tobacco gantry and warns all retailers to be aware of the two-alarms policy. He told C-Store: "Most retailers probably aren't aware of this rule. If they'd told me, I would have had an alarm set up on my gantry or a sensor covering the whole store."
By the time Barrie had arrived at the store, a passing patrol car had by chance noticed the break in. He said: "The police were livid that the security company hadn't called them because they've been after these guys for ages."
Alex Carmichael, technical director of the British Security Industry Association, said that the two alarm rule was actually requested by police, explaining that it was Association of Chief Police Officers' Security Systems policy that a police response can only be summoned to a confirmed alarm where two or more detectors have been activated.
"The policy states this due
to the risk of false alarms occurring if only one detector is activated and therefore
a police response would
be summoned unnecessarily," he added.
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