Security
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When an insurer issues a policy for a property or business premises they will require the building meets certain security standards.

All insurance companies have a set minimum security standard, although sometimes a higher level of security is required, depending on the circumstances of the risk being insured. In most cases, minimum security consists of:

What is a 5 lever mortice lock?

This is a standard type of lock that "deadlocks". A mortice lock is placed inside the door's timber, usually about halfway up, and it doesn't have a latch. It has a key operated bolt that moves across into the strike plate in the door frame where, unlike a latch, it cannot move, unless the key is inserted again to move it back.

The face plate of the lock will usually state how many levers the lock has together with a BS Kitemark or number etched into it. These markings will indicate what standard the lock was manufactured to. You can usually see these roughly where the red X is shown on the picture.
mortice lock


It is called a deadlock because the lock has no latching function, it can only be moved with the key.

 

uPVC doors frequently have multi-point locking systems with deadlocks. These locks are generally seen as more secure than a standard 5 lever mortice lock, so your insurance company will not expect you to change them, as they already exceed a minimum security level that specifies 5 lever mortice locks.

Alarms

There are many different types of burglar alarms on the market today and insurance companies classify these in different ways, as follows:

Bells only

This category simply covers alarm systems that make an audible noise in an attempt to ward off an intruder. It also includes all alarms that are not monitored by an approved central monitoring station or by the police directly. Some alarm systems may send the property owner a text to their mobile, or an automated message to their phone, but for insurance purposes, these are still classified merely as "bells only" systems.

Monitored Alarms

This category covers burglar alarms that are connected to approved central monitoring stations, also know as alarm receiving stations or ARC's for short. These alarm systems usually communicate with an approved ARC via a phone line, where they can remotely monitor the alarm and see which sensors on your alarm have been set off. Due to the high number of false alarms reported each year, the police will NOT normally respond to an alarm unless two or more sensors have been triggered, so your ARC will normally call you to advise you if only one sensor goes off, but will call the police on your behalf if two or more sensors trigger, indicating a break in.

BT Redcare (single path)

These systems work in a very similar way to centrally monitored alarms in that the alarm communicates with the ARC as before, and the police would be called only after two sensors have been triggered. They are more secure though because they are built to a particular British Standard, and the phone line that connects the alarm to the ARC is constantly checked, so if a fault develops with the phone line, or if it is tampered with, this also shows up at the ARC, who will decide what the best course of action to take is.

This kind of system is known as a single path system, as there is only one method of communication between the alarm and the ARC.

BT Redcare GSM (dual path)

Again these systems work by the burglar alarm signalling an ARC, but they are more reliable in that they have two methods of remote communication. If the phone line fails, the alarm system will continue to send signals to the ARC via GSM radio backup, so the ARC can distinguish if there is a genuine break in or just a fault on the phone line.

These systems are the most secure and provide the fewest amount of false call outs, so they can also be specified with a police response. Depending on what kind of business you have and where it is, this alarm can benefit from a police level one response, which means the police will attend the premises as soon as possible.