The Hamilton Police Service has recently announced an amendment to their Alarm Response Policy. Within this amendment, a “Verified Response” will be required as of September 1, 2019. As a result of this, the following changes will occur:
- The Hamilton Police will not respond to alarms that are called into the dispatch that do not include verification.
- Verification of the alarm must take place before calling the Hamilton Police Service.
- The Hamilton Police Service will no longer respond to alarms where only one zone has been activated unless it accompanies further verification.
What is Verification?
The Hamilton Police Service define a “Verified Response” as “the requirement of validation that criminal activity is occurring/has taken place OR there is imminent threat to personal safety prior to requesting a police response.”
As of September 1, 2019, Hamilton Police will respond only if:
- Multiple zones are activated
- We have audio or video confirmation of criminal activity
- Witness of criminal activity
Despite these changes, panic, duress and hold-up alarms will still be handled without verification, but will be subject to potential false alarm charges.
Reducing False Alarm Responses
The Hamilton Police Service has instituted these changes in an attempt to reduce the number of false alarms they respond to. The introduction of verified response has already proved to be successful in many different regions of the province. The Hamilton Police Service is optimistic that the implementation of verified response will positively impact the use of police resources and reduce the number of false alarm fees being charged, annually.
Some of the regions with Alarm verification in effect include:
- Toronto Police Service
- Niagara Regional Police
- London Police Service
To assist with this change, Hamilton Police Services have released “False Alarm Prevention Tips”.
Any questions regarding the Verified Response Program policy should be directed to the Alarm Program Coordinator, Ms. Karen Derry at 905 546 4718 or email [email protected].
