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CCTV, alarm response and keyholding

An alarm goes off at two in the morning. Somebody has to go. If that somebody is a member of your staff, driving to an unknown situation alone with the keys, you have transferred a security risk onto an employee and a liability onto yourself. Keyholding exists so that never has to happen.

CCTV & alarm response

Nobody on your staff should attend an activation alone

The practical argument for keyholding is duty of care. Attending an activation means arriving at premises where an intruder may still be present, at night, usually alone, usually tired. It is the single most hazardous task most businesses ask of their own people, and it gets asked casually precisely because it is rare.

The second argument is that it simply works better. A trained responder knows how to approach premises rather than walk straight in, how to search and reset, and when to stand off and call the police instead — and produces a written record afterwards. False activations get logged and traced to a cause rather than reset and forgotten until the pattern becomes a police response problem.

What you receive

Written down, not assumed

Everything below is part of the service rather than an upgrade, and each item is something you can hold us to from the first shift.

  • Keys held under a controlled, auditable system
  • A written response and escalation procedure
  • Attendance at activations without involving your staff
  • A written report for every callout
  • False-activation tracking and review
  • Make-safe standby where premises cannot be secured

Why it matters

Nobody on your staff should attend an activation alone

The practical argument for keyholding is duty of care. Attending an activation means arriving at premises where an intruder may still be present, at night, usually alone, usually tired. It is the single most hazardous task most businesses ask of their own people, and it gets asked casually precisely because it is rare.

The second argument is that it simply works better. A trained responder knows how to approach premises rather than walk straight in, how to search and reset, and when to stand off and call the police instead — and produces a written record afterwards. False activations get logged and traced to a cause rather than reset and forgotten until the pattern becomes a police response problem.

What's included

What cctv, alarm response & keyholding covers

Keyholding

Your keys held securely and released only under an agreed procedure, so no member of staff has to attend out of hours.

Alarm response and attendance

A trained responder attends the activation, checks the premises to a set procedure, and escalates rather than improvising.

Lock and unlock service

Scheduled opening and securing of your premises, useful where staff arrival times vary or the first-in duty falls unfairly on one person.

Make-safe and standby

Where a door or window has been forced, an officer stays with the premises until it is secured rather than leaving it open overnight.

CCTV review support

Reviewing recorded footage around an incident and preserving the relevant clips properly, so evidence is not lost to the overwrite cycle.

Callout records and false-alarm tracking

Every attendance recorded with time, findings and action — and repeat activations traced to a cause rather than reset and forgotten.

How it runs

Four stages, agreed as we go

  1. Key handover and procedure

    Keys and alarm codes are logged into a controlled system, and the response procedure and escalation order are agreed in writing.

  2. Premises familiarisation

    Responders learn the site before they ever attend it in the dark — layout, alarm panel, isolation points and hazards.

  3. Response

    On activation a responder attends, checks the premises to procedure, secures or resets as appropriate, and notifies your named contact.

  4. Report and review

    A written callout report follows every attendance, and recurring activations are reviewed with you to find the cause.

Deliverables

What you actually receive

Set out here so there is no ambiguity later about what was included in the price.

  • Keys held under a controlled, auditable system
  • A written response and escalation procedure
  • Attendance at activations without involving your staff
  • A written report for every callout
  • False-activation tracking and review
  • Make-safe standby where premises cannot be secured

Questions

CCTV, Alarm Response & Keyholding: common questions

How are our keys kept secure?

Keys are held under a controlled system that identifies them by reference rather than by your address, so a lost or stolen key cannot be matched to premises. Release is logged, and the procedure is agreed with you in writing at handover.

What happens if the police are needed?

The responder's standing instruction is to stand off and call, rather than enter where there are signs of a genuine intrusion. Confronting an intruder is not the job. Your named contact is notified either way, and the attendance is documented.

Do you monitor our CCTV around the clock?

We do not claim a manned monitoring centre, and you should be sceptical of anyone who claims one without showing you the room. What we provide is CCTV review support around an incident, including preserving the relevant footage before the system overwrites it.

We get a lot of false alarms. Can that be reduced?

Usually, yes, and it starts with recording them properly. Once activations are logged with time, zone and findings, the pattern normally points at a specific cause — a faulty contact, a heating vent, a delivery. Fixing the cause is cheaper than attending it every week.

Also available

Our other services

Retail Security

Store-floor and entrance officers who deter loss without making your customers feel suspected.

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Static Security

SIA-licensed officers on a fixed post — gatehouse, entrance or reception — briefed to a written assignment instruction.

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Property Security

Cover for construction sites, yards, warehouses and vacant property, where the target is plant, materials and metal.

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Building Security

Officers for offices, corporate premises and managed buildings, where the post is as much front-of-house as it is security.

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Event Security

Door supervisors and stewards for events and venues, with the entry and crowd plan agreed before the doors open.

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Thinking about cctv, alarm response & keyholding?

Tell us what you are working with and what you need it to do. You will get a straight answer and a fixed written price.

Request a quote