At the end of October, Guardian Security celebrated with a retirement party at their Canterbury offices for long-serving burglar alarm installer, Michael Delaforce.

Michael joined the company as an Installation Engineer in March 1992 when the products and services available in the security industry were very different.

There was no WiFi and CCTV cameras were not so common. But homes were still safer if they were protected by an intruder alarm. So there were lots of companies selling them.

Protection from dodgy burglar alarm installers

As early as 1971, the National Supervisory Council for Intruder Alarms (NSCIA) was formed to try to combat the problems of poor quality equipment and cowboys within the burglar alarm market.

In 1991, this body merged with the Security Systems Inspectorate (SSI) to form NACOSS (the National Approval Council for Security Systems). NACOSS achieved widespread recognition for their part in improving standards to meet the requirements of the insurance sector and the Police’s national alarms policy. Their remit was also extended to cover CCTV systems.

In 2001, the Inspectorate of the Security (ISI) which looked after the security guard sector, merged with NACOSS to form the unified Inspectorate of the Security Industry (NSI) – a governing body which covered all aspects of the security industry.

To deal with the continuing problem of dodgy burglar alarm salesmen and installers, the NSI developed their Gold standard. This is a voluntary certification and those who have been successfully accredited have invited the NSI to audit their business to check that their products and services comply with industry standards.

NSI Gold requirements for companies that install burglar alarms:

• The company is financially viable and has all the necessary insurance
• The owners/managers are of good repute and the company operates from a suitable and secure premises
• It can provide sufficient cover/support and has an appropriate means of dealing with complaints
• The company operates to industry best practise and can demonstrate technical and managerial competence
• It must operate a 24-hour call-out service and respond to emergencies within a 4-hour period
• The company must offer a maintenance contract with the system

Why using an NSI-approved company is best for burglar alarm installation

1. All our engineers and staff are properly vetted with CRB checks, so you know that whoever comes to your home or business has been security screened to British Standard 7858
2. Every installation comes with an NSI Certificate of Compliance which can be shown to all insurance companies to prove that your alarm system has been installed to all the necessary standards.
3. You may be entitled to a discount on your insurance if your alarm comes with a certificate of compliance because insurers know that NSI rigorously inspects the work of its member companies lessening the risk to the insurer.

Michael retired on 28th October 2014 as a Senior Engineer after a grand total of 22 years of service and we wish him well.