'Alarms rules won't affect insurance'

Posted on January 7, 2007

Council tries to head off fresh concern about controversial requirement.

The controversial Alarm Notification Area policy in South Beds will not impact on home insurance policies, according to the district council.

Several people living in South Beds have raised concerns that the measure - which means burglar alarm owners have to hand over contact details for their keyholders or face a fine - would impact on their insurance policies.

But a spokeswoman for South Beds District Council said: "We did check with insurance companies before we introduced the scheme and it won't affect home insurance cover."

The measure was introduced to cut down on endlessly ringing alarms and ensure that if a home alarm goes off it can be shut down quickly. South Beds District Council's Envirocrime Unit - who are overseeing the policy - have claimed a victory this week after they used keyholder contact details to quickly silence an alarm in Kensworth.

Source: Dunstable Today, 5 January 2006