Intruder Alarm Grades and Monitoring: What Each Level Means
Intruder alarm grades run from 1 to 4 and describe the level of security a system is built to, from Grade 1 at the bottom to Grade 4 at the top. They come from the BS EN 50131 series, applied in the UK through PD 6662. Monitoring is a separate choice: a bells-only alarm just makes a noise, a keyholder-monitored alarm calls people you nominate, and a police response alarm can bring the police, but only if the whole system meets national police requirements.
So a spec might read "Grade 2, police response". The grade is about the equipment; the monitoring is about who responds.
What are intruder alarm grades?
Intruder alarm grades set how well a system resists being attacked or bypassed. BS EN 50131 is the European standard for intrusion and hold-up alarm systems, and PD 6662:2017 is the UK scheme that describes how to apply it.
The grade is chosen to match the risk: the higher the risk to the property, the higher the grade, and the harder the equipment should be to tamper with or get round. In broad terms:
Grade 1: the most basic level. It does not appear on the police application form for a monitored, police response alarm.
Grade 2: a common choice for homes and small businesses, and the minimum in the police-backed Secured by Design alarm standard.
Grade 3: a step up, often chosen for businesses holding valuable stock or cash, or where an insurer asks for it.
Grade 4: the top grade, for the highest-risk sites.
Individual devices are graded as well as the system, so ask your installer to confirm the grade of the panel and every detector, not just a headline figure for the system.
Is a Grade 2 alarm enough?
For most homes, yes. The police-backed Secured by Design alarm standard sets Grade 2 as its minimum, with anti-masking detectors added. The national police application form for a police response alarm lists only Grades 2, 3 and 4.
Grade 3 is worth considering where the risk is higher: a business with valuable stock, a home with high-value contents, or an insurer that asks for it. Our intruder alarm systems work starts with a survey of the property and a look at what your insurer requires, then sets the grade to match.
Bells-only, keyholder or police response?
Monitoring is how the alarm raises help once it goes off.
Bells-only alarm
A bells only alarm sounds an external siren and flashes a strobe to scare off an intruder and alert neighbours. There are no running fees. The police guidance is clear that this type does not get an automatic police response: someone at the scene has to call 999 and report a crime in progress.
If you live in an alarm notification area in England, you must give the council details of a keyholder who can turn the alarm off, and councils have powers to deal with alarms that keep sounding.
Self-monitored (smart) alarm
The alarm sends notifications to your phone. You see the alert and decide whether to call a neighbour, check a camera or ring the police. It suits people who are usually reachable and nearby.
Keyholder monitored burglar alarm
The alarm signals a professional alarm receiving centre around the clock. The centre checks the signal and calls your nominated keyholders. It is a monitored burglar alarm without the police element.
Police response alarm
This is the top tier. The alarm receiving centre can pass a confirmed alarm to the police for an immediate response. To qualify, the National Police Chiefs' Council requirements say:
The installer and maintainer must be certified by a UKAS-accredited certification body and be on the local force's list of compliant companies.
New systems must be installed to PD 6662:2017 and the current BS 8243, which covers confirmed alarms (a second sensor, audio or video confirming the first activation).
The system is monitored by a compliant alarm receiving centre.
The police issue a unique reference number (URN) for the system.
There must be at least two keyholders, and a key safe is not an acceptable alternative.
The police call this a Type A system. Anything else is Type B, and gets no guaranteed response: a person at the scene has to report a crime in progress.
How police response can be withdrawn
Police response depends on the alarm behaving. Under the current requirements:
A registered alarm gets Level 1 response, which is normally immediate but depends on police demand at the time.
After two false calls in a rolling 12 months, you get a warning letter.
After three false calls in a rolling 12 months, response drops to Level 3: withdrawn, keyholder response only.
To get it back, the cause must be found and fixed, and a confirmed system normally needs 90 days clear of false alarms, unless an extra method of confirmation is added.
Good design, correct sensor placement and training everyone who sets the alarm do more to protect your response than anything else.
Alarm system for a business: what changes?
An alarm system for a business follows the same grades and monitoring options, but a few things are more common:
Grade 3 equipment for premises holding stock, cash or equipment.
Dual-path signalling, sending signals by two routes (such as broadband and mobile) so cutting one does not silence the alarm.
Hold-up alarms (panic buttons) for staff, which have stricter false alarm rules: two false calls in 12 months triggers withdrawal.
Sounder delays on some commercial sites, where the local force can require the external siren on a monitored system to be delayed.
CCTV integration, so the alarm receiving centre can see what triggered the alarm, which is why CCTV is worth designing alongside the alarm.
Do burglar alarms deter burglars?
The police say they do. Their alarm guidance states that research shows improvements in home security, including fitting an intruder alarm, have played a significant role in reducing burglaries, and that most burglaries happen when no one is home and are committed by opportunists. A visible siren box tells an opportunist there are easier houses nearby.
An alarm is one layer, though. Good locks, lighting and not leaving keys near the door matter just as much.
What do insurers ask for?
It varies by insurer and by the value at risk. Some ask only that an alarm is fitted and set when the property is empty. Others specify a grade, monitoring, a certified installer or regular servicing, and can refuse a claim if the conditions were not met. Ask your insurer for their requirement in writing before you choose a system, and keep the installation certificate and service records.
Typical prices for each type of system are covered in our guide to burglar alarm cost.
Intruder alarm grades, answered
Can I upgrade a Grade 2 system to Grade 3?
Only by replacing the equipment that is not rated to Grade 3, because the devices themselves are graded. In practice that often means a new panel and sensors, so it is worth choosing the right grade at the start.
Does a DIY alarm have a grade?
Some DIY kits state a grade on the packaging. A DIY system still cannot get police response, and the police guidance does not recommend DIY kits because they may not suit your property's risks.
What is a hold-up alarm?
A hold-up alarm is a panic button for calling for urgent help when someone is under threat, for example behind a shop counter. It must only be used for that purpose, since false calls quickly cost it police response.
Choosing the right alarm
SM Electrical designs and fits intruder alarms for homes and businesses across Shifnal, Telford, Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, matching the grade and monitoring to the property and your insurer's requirements. Get in touch to book a survey.
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