27 July 2012: important date for lone worker companies

IFSEC Insider

On Wednesday 27 July 2011 ACPO published the latest version of its Security Systems Policy. This included changes affecting the suppliers of lone worker services, but a ‘stay of execution’ of 12 months was granted to allow companies to assess and prepare for meeting these amendments.

That being the case, 27 July 2012 – the date from when the proposed changes will be implemented – is an important one.

The essence of the policy is that, where the customer requires (or the supplier offers) the highest level of police response through an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) then the ARC must have a separate URN for lone workers.

To achieve that URN, the ARC’s management team must ensure the following for the ARC’s operation:

• it’s accredited to BS 8484 Part 6 itself
• it only receives alarms from devices that meet the requirements of BS 8484:2011 Part 5
• the lone worker service must be supplied by a company accredited to BS 8484:2011 Part 4

Highest level of police response

Where these requirements are met then the police will offer the highest level of response – known as Level 1 (immediate/urgent) – to requests for assistance to a lone worker in trouble.

ARCs wishing to offer monitoring of lone worker with that level of response to lone worker alarms must apply for a URN to individual forces using the procedures laid down in the ACPO Security Systems Policy.

Extracts from that policy (Appendix V) are as follows:

7 Police attendance

7.1 Lone worker services which meet the requirements of the ACPO Security Systems Policy will receive a Level 1 – immediate/urgent police response (see 3.1.2 of the policy)

4.1 Lone worker devices shall meet the lone worker device requirements laid down in BS 8484:2009

4.2 Lone worker suppliers shall: (a) Meet the lone worker supplier requirements laid down in BS 8484 (b) Meet the requirements as laid down in Appendix S, sub-clause III, except sub clause ‘I’ (c) The supplier shall be certified by a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited certification body to the provisions of the ACPO policy document ‘Police Response To Security Systems’

(Note: the supplier provisions will come fully into force 12 calendar months after the publication of this dated version of the policy)

5.1 The Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) shall: (a) Meet the ARC requirements laid down in BS 8484:2009 (b) Conform to BS 5979 Cat 11 (c) The ARC shall be certified by a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited certification body in accordance with the provisions of the ACPO requirements for lone worker systems

Author’s note

The BS 8484:2009 mentioned in the ACPO Security Systems Policy has since been replaced by BS 8484:2011

The implications of the references to Appendix S of the policy are that:

• the only companies certified by ACPO to carry out certifications acceptable to ACPO are the National Security Inspectorate and the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board. This applies to both suppliers and ARCs
• there are additional requirements laid on supplier companies over and above those in BS 8484:2011 Part 4

It’s recommended that any company supplying lone worker services should read the ACPO Policy which can be found here

Patrick Dealtry is managing director of the Lone Working Group and chairman of the BSIA’s Lone Worker Steering Committee

• In 2010, and in recognition of more than a decade of work on the formulation and development of standards for the security sector, Patrick Dealtry was presented with the British Security Industry Association’s Chairman’s Award for Contribution to Standards
• A former chairman of the BSI GW3 Committee, in which role he guided the development of UK and European standards relating to security guarding services, Patrick was also the instigator and driving force behind the development of the BS 8484:2009 Code of Practice for the provision of lone worker device services. This groundbreaking document soon became recognised as the yardstick for lone worker protection by police forces throughout the UK

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