Phone 0115 944 1234
CCTV SYSTEMS MUST COMPLY WITH BS 8418 TO
ENSURE LEVEL 1 POLICE RESPONSE
From the 1st of April 2020 your CCTV system should have been registered with the police force if
you require police response.
Previously when witnessing criminal activity on CCTV a operator would contact the police control
room directly. These calls are frequently being rejected for systems without unique reference
numbers (URNs). This results in the operator being forced to use a non-emergency number (101)
and waiting in a queue, it has been found the operator can take upwards of 30 minutes to
establish contact with the police, which leaves the site vulnerable for this time.
A CCTV system installed to BS8418 can receive LEVEL 1 POLICE RESPONSE.
According to police force policies level one means immediate police response, subject to
priorities.
To qualify for level 1 response a cctv system must be installed to BS8418 and it must be
connected to an approved monitoring station, it must be registered with the appropriate police
force and have a police issued unique reference number (URN).
If you require level 1 police response your system must comply with these
requirements otherwise do not expect police attendance from your cctv system.
Many insurance companies are now requiring BS8418 cctv systems to be installed.
Detection devices around the perimeter of the site will activate the cameras and alert the
monitoring station staff who will then monitor the situation.
Audio Challenge is a key feature of the system, when the monitoring station observe an intruder
on site as well as informing the police, they will verbally challenge the suspect, through carefully
sited loudspeakers on site. This will often prevent a crime from escalating.
Get Police Response from your CCTV