What Is a Police Response Alarm? URNs Explained

How does a URN actually work?

Your installer applies to the police force on your behalf; the force issues a URN tied to your address and the ARC. From then on, confirmed activations go to the police control room as verified alarm calls — Level 1 response, meaning police aim to attend. Unconfirmed single-detector activations are filtered to keyholders, which is exactly the point: the confirmation requirement is what keeps police willing to respond at all.

What are the requirements for police response?

• Installation and annual maintenance by an NSI or SSAIB certificated company — DIY and uncertificated installs cannot get a URN
• System designed to PD 6662 / EN 50131 (Grade 2 minimum; many forces and insurers expect Grade 3 for higher risk)
• Sequential confirmation: two detectors must trigger to class an activation as confirmed
• Dual-path signalling to an approved ARC (e.g. IP + 4G)
• Nominated keyholders contactable 24/7 who can attend within about 20 minutes
• The annual URN fee paid to the police force (typically around £50–£60)

How response is lost — and regained

Under NPCC policy, three false calls in a rolling twelve months downgrades the URN: police stop attending until the system shows a clean record and an engineer certifies the cause was addressed. This is why false alarm management isn't cosmetic on monitored systems — every spider on a PIR spends one of your three strikes. Well-maintained systems keep response for decades; neglected ones lose it within a year.