A couple of bikes were stolen out of my garage three years ago. During the police followup on it, I asked them about what they thought of alarm systems. Keep in mind this is just two officer's opinions, not necessarily the end all on this.
They made the following points:
- if Calgary police get a call from an alarm company saying an alarm is going off at a home without any contact from the owner of the property, it is treated as a non-emergency. They will get to it, but not at the pace of a "911 - There's someone breaking into my house!!" call.
- I asked them how many times they had ever caught any burglars in the act as a result of a security alarm going off -- they said never.
- I asked them if they thought the alarm company signs were a deterent - they said no, criminals know the system and alarm signs don't phase them.
- a dog is a good thing to have
They recommended getting basic alarms on the windows and doors that were really loud, loud enough for the neighbors to hear, this doesn't require a monthly service contract or a land line for a phone. They said that is what they use at their houses.
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