Police cannot endorse specific companies, but they actively direct homeowners to firms certified by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) or the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB). The reason is straightforward: only NSI-approved or SSAIB-certificated installers can connect your property to the police response network through a Unique Reference Number (URN). Without that certification, no monitored alarm - however expensive - will bring a police response when it triggers.
According to the Office for National Statistics, police-recorded burglary in England and Wales fell by 12% in the year ending December 2025, reaching 224,518 offences. The Crime Survey for England and Wales puts estimated domestic burglary incidents at around 327,000 over the same period - down 22% year-on-year. While the trend is encouraging, burglary remains one of the most common property crimes, and the gap between a certified monitored alarm and an uncertified box on the wall is the gap between a police response and no response at all.
NSI (National Security Inspectorate) and SSAIB (Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board) are both UKAS-accredited certification bodies. UKAS - the United Kingdom Accreditation Service - is the sole national accreditation body appointed by the government. Its role is to assess the assessors: UKAS accredits NSI and SSAIB, who in turn certify alarm companies.
This matters for one important reason of terminology. An installer is "NSI approved" or "SSAIB certificated" - not "UKAS accredited." UKAS accredits the certification bodies, not individual firms. Any company that describes itself as "UKAS accredited" is using the term incorrectly.
NSI operates two tiers:
Both tiers qualify a company as police-recognised for alarm installation. The distinction matters mainly at the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) level - see below.
SSAIB operates a single certification level for security installers. Like NSI, SSAIB is UKAS-accredited and fully equivalent in the eyes of the police and most insurers.
Getting a police response to a monitored alarm is not automatic. It requires a chain of verified components:
Your alarm must be installed by an NSI-approved or SSAIB-certificated company. Installation must meet the technical standards: PD 6662:2017 (the UK's umbrella scheme document for intruder alarms, mandatory for new systems from June 2019) and BS 8243:2021 (confirmed alarm activation for police response).
A key requirement that most consumers never hear about. Before police are called, the system must generate two independent trigger events - this is "confirmed activation." It is this requirement, built into certified installations under BS 8243:2021, that structurally reduces false calls compared with uncertified alarm boxes.
Your alarm must be monitored 24/7 by an ARC that holds its own certification to BS EN 50518. For police response, the ARC must hold its own separate certification - NSI ARC Gold or SSAIB's equivalent ARC certification. This is why, in practice, most consumers need their installer and their monitoring provider both to hold current certification.
Your NSI-approved or SSAIB-certificated installer arranges the URN registration with your local police force. The URN is what tells police your property is on the response network. Without one, there is no obligation for police to attend.
Blake Fire & Security holds both NSI Gold and SSAIB certification, and can arrange URN registration for monitored alarm systems. Verify our NSI approval on the NSI company finder and our SSAIB certification via SSAIB provider #6681.
The police operate a graduated response policy for false alarms under the NPCC Police Requirements for Security Systems 2026. Understanding it is important for any property owner with a monitored alarm.
Hold-up (panic) alarms are treated more strictly: police response is withdrawn after two false calls in a rolling 12-month period, per the NPCC Police Requirements for Security Systems 2026.
Note: the previous Level 2 (downgraded response) is no longer used under the 2026 edition. The policy now moves directly from Level 1 to Level 3 withdrawal.
The practical lesson: using a certified installer who designs and commissions your system to BS 8243:2021 - with confirmed activation built in - is the most reliable way to stay at Level 1.
Since 2021, a system called ECHO (Electronic Call Handling Operations) has been changing how verified alarms reach police control rooms. Before ECHO, an ARC operator would phone the police directly - introducing delays and the risk of miscommunication. ECHO replaces that call with a fully automated electronic transmission, delivering alarm details to police dispatch within seconds and generating an automatic incident acknowledgment back to the ARC.
ECHO can save up to four minutes in police response times compared with traditional phone-based alarm handling. Metropolitan Police and Essex Police were the first connected forces in 2021, with adoption continuing across England and Wales since. Today more than 300,000 ECHO-connected alarmed sites across 13 police forces are on police response. Learn more at echo.uk.net.
Martin Harvey, a founding director of ECHO, said in October 2023, when 11 forces were connected: "Enabling a speedier and more effective alarm response to over 40,000 police response incidents a year is testimony to the impact ECHO is having with just 11 forces ECHO-connected." (Professional Security Magazine)
For property owners in Essex - Blake's home territory - ECHO is already in operation. A professionally installed, URN-registered alarm monitored through an ECHO-connected ARC is about as fast a route to police response as the current system allows.
The NPCC (National Police Chiefs' Council) sets the operational policy that governs police response to alarms across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The current edition is the NPCC Police Requirements for Security Systems 2026 (© February 2026, updated 3 June 2026, review date April 2027, authored by DCC Ciaron Irvine, Durham Constabulary, and published at policesecuritysystems.com).
Key provisions of the 2026 edition that affect property owners:
If your alarm was installed before 2026, don't worry about tracking these policy changes yourself. The 2026 requirements replaced an earlier version from May 2025, and every NSI-approved or SSAIB-certificated company is audited against the current edition. That means your certified installer is responsible for keeping your system in line with what the police require. The NSI police policy overview has further detail.
For the consumer, both NSI-approved and SSAIB-certificated installers offer equivalent police and insurer recognition. The choice between them at the installer level is largely practical - geography, which companies operate in your area and which holds which certification.
Blake Fire & Security holds both, which means we can serve the full range of customer and insurer requirements from a single team.
The distinction that actually matters:
| What you need | NSI | SSAIB |
|---|---|---|
| Installer certification for police URN | NSI Gold or Silver | SSAIB certification |
| ARC monitoring certification | NSI Gold (for ARC) | SSAIB equivalent |
| Fire alarm systems | NSI Gold + BAFE | SSAIB offers BAFE-licensed fire schemes - not part of Blake's SSAIB scope |
Note on fire: SSAIB as a certification body is licensed by BAFE to deliver fire safety schemes, but a company's SSAIB certificate covers only the schemes on its register entry. Blake's SSAIB certificate covers security systems - intruder alarms, CCTV and access control - and Blake's fire alarm work is certified via NSI Gold and BAFE registration instead. For a single contractor covering both intruder and fire systems, Blake's holds all three.
If your alarm is installed by an uncertified company:
The cold caller or door-to-door salesperson offering a "monitored alarm" without asking about NSI or SSAIB certification is selling you a box, not a police-response system.
Use the official registers:
Both registers are maintained by the certification bodies themselves. A company claiming NSI or SSAIB status that does not appear on the register is making a false claim.
Blake Fire & Security appears on both - NSI Gold and SSAIB provider #6681 - and has held NSI Gold since 2005 and SSAIB certification since 2002. Call us on 01702 447800 or get a free quote.
Police cannot endorse or recommend specific companies by name. What they do is direct homeowners and businesses to the NSI and SSAIB registers - because only certified companies can connect a property to the police response network through a URN. The "recommendation" is structural: without NSI or SSAIB certification, no monitored alarm qualifies for police response.
A Unique Reference Number (URN) is a registration number issued by your local police force that links your specific property to the police response network. Your NSI-approved or SSAIB-certificated installer arranges URN registration with the police as part of commissioning a monitored alarm. Without a URN, police have no obligation to respond to your alarm, even if it is professionally monitored.
Both NSI Gold and NSI Silver installers are police-recognised for the purpose of intruder alarm installation. The difference is that NSI Gold additionally requires the company to hold a certified ISO 9001 Quality Management System. At the Alarm Receiving Centre level, a separate ARC certification applies - NSI ARC Gold or SSAIB's ARC scheme. For most consumers choosing an installer, both tiers are equivalent in terms of police recognition.
No. Police response to monitored alarms requires a certified installer, a certified ARC and a registered URN. An uncertified alarm - even if professionally fitted and expensively monitored - does not qualify for police response. The confirmed-activation requirement (two independent trigger events under BS 8243:2021) also cannot be met without a properly commissioned certified installation.
Police operate a graduated response policy under the NPCC Police Requirements for Security Systems 2026. After two false alarm calls in a rolling 12-month period, a written warning is issued. After a third false call, police response is withdrawn entirely (Level 3) - there is no longer an intermediate Level 2 downgrade. Reinstatement requires remedial action and an ARC report showing 90 days clear of false alarms. If response stays withdrawn for more than six months without a reinstatement application, the URN is deleted. Using a certified installer who designs your system to BS 8243:2021 confirmed-activation standards is the most effective way to avoid false activations reaching police.
SSAIB as a certification body is licensed by BAFE to deliver fire safety schemes, but a company's SSAIB certificate covers only the schemes on its register entry. Blake's SSAIB certificate covers security systems - intruder alarms, CCTV and access control - while Blake's fire alarm work is certified via NSI Gold and BAFE SP203-1 registration. Always check the specific schemes on an installer's register entry.
Blake Fire & Security Systems is NSI Gold approved and SSAIB certificated, serving residential and commercial clients across Essex, London and the South East. Founded in Southend in 1979. Call 01702 447800 or contact us online.
