By Daniel Huot
Plans to levy a fine for every false burglar alarm requiring police intervention are sparking a debate among those who own businesses and homes in Ottawa-Carleton.
The Alarm System Review Report prepared by regional police proposes fines between $60 and $80 to burglar alarm owners, while penalties could also extend to burglar alarm companies.
Moreover, police could refuse to answer calls from unregistered burglar alarm owners.
Right now regional police fine residents and small businesses $75 after the third false alarm, while businesses occupying more than 180 square metres (2,000 square ft.) must pay $150.
“Burglar alarm installations are going up at about a rate of 15 per cent per year,” says Sgt. John Ferguson, who works for the regional police’s alarms division.
“With the number of alarms continuing to be installed we cannot continue going to every single alarm call.” “Ten per cent of our calls are for false alarms,” he says.
According to the Alarm System Review Report, less than five per cent of the 20,500 burglar alarm calls received in 1996 from alarm monitoring companies were justified.
The report indicated that it cost regional police at least $1.7 million to respond to these calls that year.
Ferguson says penalties are based on recovering their costs and police don’t intend to turn a profit.
“There is certainly no intent in turning this into a money-making exercise,” he says.
“False alarms cost us between $60 and $80 per call depending on which figures you use.”
Some of the submitted proposals has alarmed some people who say they already pay enough for police protection.
Wallace Scharf, a retired Canada Post employee, who has had an alarm in his residence since 1986, says paying a fine for every false alarm is unreasonable.
He says his alarm went off three times several years ago because of a mechanical defect while he was on his way to Florida.
Because he was absent, his monitoring company was unable to turn it off and police intervened.
He didn’t pay a fine.
“If we have to pay $26 for registration, we shouldn’t have to pay a fine.
“Alarms are mechanical devices that can break.”
Discussions come two months after a one-time $26 registration fee began being charged to alarm owners.
David Khoury, the owner of Centretown Electronic Services, says it would be unfair to charge burglar alarm owners for false alarms.
“We already pay enough taxes to secure our businesses,” he says.
Khoury admits he once had a false alarm because a window broke owing to poor weather.
But his alarm also saved him twice from attempted break-ins.
“Police even caught the thief once,” he says.
Randy Manuel, acting branch manager for the Dominion Electric Protection Company, says regular fines for false alarms would be a boon for business.
He says fines would make clients more responsible and help protect his business’ reputation.
“People who cause false alarms can cost you a lot in dollars by giving your company a bad name,” Manuel says.
“About 80 per cent of false alarms are caused by users.”
There are roughly 35,000 registered burglar alarm systems in the Ottawa-Carleton region.
A public debate to get feedback on false burglar alarm reduction proposals will be held on Jan. 29, at 111 Lisgar St., starting at 6 p.m.