False Alarm Reduction Program

With the continuing growth of the use of security alarm systems in homes and businesses, police services in many jurisdictions are faced with the challenge of attending to false alarm incidents in huge numbers. Many jurisdictions in Canada have implemented programs to reduce the number of false alarm calls their police members are being dispatched to, and to reduce the financial costs associated with attending false alarms.

The False Alarm Program is designed to reduce one of the most significant misuses of police resources, and free up officers for legitimate calls for service. North Vancouver RCMP receives more than 1000 false alarm reports each year. Of those, only a very small percentage are the result of a criminal offence. The vast majority are due to user error or a malfunction of the alarm system.

The City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver have each enacted bylaws governing security alarm systems. Read more about the bylaws here:

City of North Vancouver
District of North Vancouver

Police Response to Alarms

North Vancouver RCMP attends all reports of security alarm activations. Upon attendance, an officer will conduct an investigation to determine if a crime has been committed. If there is no visible evidence of a crime, then the officer will leave a sticker on the premises indicating police attendance was made. False alarm attendance is tracked by the Detachment’s False Alarm Coordinator.

Property Owner Responsibilities

Property owners or occupiers are responsible for the proper use, installation, maintenance, and operation of any security alarm system installed on or in a property in the City or District of North Vancouver. Each Municipality has established fees for police attendance to repeat false alarms.
Common causes of false alarm activations include:

• malfunction due to maintenance issues;
• accidental activation; or
• activation during testing.

We encourage you to take the following steps to reduce the chances of triggering a false alarm on your property:

• ensure alarm systems are working properly;
• regularly maintain alarm systems;
• regularly update contact information with your alarm monitoring service; and
• instruct your alarm monitoring service to contact you or your identified property representative prior to contacting police.

Questions or inquiries about false alarms can be emailed to NVFalseAlarms@rcmp-grc.gc.ca