
BEST PRACTICE SPONSOR 2020
17NATIONAL SECURITY INSPECTORATE |
legislation, approved MOT test centres
keep people safe with thousands of
potentially dangerous vehicles properly
maintained every year.
In contrast to the MOT, despite the
introduction of the Fire Safety Order
2005 in England and Wales and its
equivalent legislation in Scotland
and Northern Ireland, enforcement
is weak. Many fire detection and
alarm systems are not competently
“MOT’d” and unreliable fire alarms
are commonplace. Some organisations
are committed to high standards of
fire safety and competent fire risk
assessments, yet many more are not.
Effective approval regimes work well in
many markets, keeping people safe at
work, at home and in all walks of life.
Third-party certification bodies play a
large part in making this happen, as
indeed we at NSI do in security and
firesafety.
Intruder alarms: a case study
A compelling example of certification
making a positive difference is in
security and the longstanding alignment
between the private sector and the
police with regard to monitored
intruder alarms. Built on agreed
standards, third-party certification has
been delivering substantial benefits for
over 30 years and continues to do so.
The NPCC, formerly ACPO, and the
security industry built this effective
alliance in the 1980s to address the
problem of the significant adverse
impact of false alarms on victims of
crime, insurers and the police.
At the time, intruder alarms were
notoriously unreliable, almost
encouraging criminals to chance their
luck. Consequently, burglary rates
were high and responding to them
was considered both costly and a huge
waste of police resources, hence many
were ignored.
To address the problem, the NPCC laid
down requirements, in conjunction
with industry, for the installation
and monitoring of alarm systems
covered by police automatic response.
This was only to be undertaken
by approved providers. Becoming
approved necessitated signing up to
third-party certification and therefore
undergoing an ongoing programme of
independent third-party inspection and
approval, delivered in part by NSI.
Over the long term, the false alarm rate
has reduced by over 90 per cent, and
the deterrent effect of now reliable
approved alarms serves its purpose well:
the number of burglaries has fallen,
fewer police officers are deployed on
wasted call outs and there have been
immense savings to the public purse.
In addition, from the insurers’ point of
view, burglary is no longer the greatest
overall risk to be covered. It has long
been overtaken by fire and flood, and
this has been reflected in insurance
premiums over the long term.
Commitment to third-party certification
has delivered the desired outcome.
The evidence base is clear: strong
governance in the form of third-
party certification – or TPC – of alarm
Third-party certification
provides assurance for
security and fire safety
in a wide variety of built
environments
Undeniably, the
world is safer as
a result of
partnership
between the
police and the
private sector
based on a
standardised
approach
underpinned by
third-party
certification
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