Red Deer, Alta. – Red Deer RCMP are encouraging Red Deerians to help reduce the number of false alarms police respond to by educating themselves on their alarm systems and being aware of the common issues that result in false alarms.
In 2021, Red Deer RCMP received 812 false alarm reports which required police response. In the first five months of 2022, Red Deer RCMP have averaged between 15 and 20 false alarm calls a week.
“We receive hundreds of false alarm calls every year. We can’t know which are false alarms and which are genuine calls needing police assistance, so we prioritize and respond to each call,” said Cpl. Mike Evans, Red Deer RCMP. “As it takes a considerable amount of resources to confirm the wellbeing of the individuals at those locations, we are asking our community to take steps to prevent false alarms.”
Common culprits of false alarms include bumping the alarm during cleaning, forgetting the code, moving into a new house with an existing alarm and not being familiar with the system, and settings that don’t accommodate pet or kid activity.
“At the end of the day, a security system exists to make you and our community safer. False alarms actually do the exact opposite of that,” said Cpl. Evans. Red Deer RCMP offer the following tips to homeowners and commercial property managers to avoid false alarms:
Residential properties:
- Make sure everyone in the house knows how to use the system properly.
- Complete regular maintenance on your security system to ensure all components are functional. If different components of your system use batteries, ensure they are not running low.
- Let your security system provider know if you have a kid or pet so it can anticipate that activity.
- Floating balloons, hanging decorations and objects placed up high that become destabilized can all set off an alarm.
- Ensure doors and window are properly closed and latched.
- Ensure your alarm monitoring company calls you. Silent alarm setting may result in you not even knowing your alarm is going off.
- Remind friends or guests staying with you about your alarm.
Commercial properties:
- Ensure employees or property managers understand how the system works.
- Work with your security system provider to test your alarm every three months and ensure procedures are in place for all employee/property managers.
The City of Red Deer has an alarm bylaw to encourage the responsible use of alarm systems. Fines for false alarms range from $100 to $750 per event, and an additional response fee may be applied. For more information about the bylaw, please visit reddeer.ca/bylaws.
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Media contact:
Red Deer RCMP
