Secom security for Acton housing residents

Monitored alarms by Secom are part of the range of electronic security solutions provided for the residential sector, government, commerce and industry.

A West London expatriate community of some 80 households is sleeping more soundly since the landlord switched all the houses to monitored and serviced alarm systems from Secom plc - and with the numbers of false alarms and criminal incidents dramatically reduced, so is the property manager in charge of the portfolio.

The houses, forming the core of the Japanese community in Acton, were acquired by the property development arm of Suzuyo Kosan, a diversified Japanese investment group.

The houses are rented to expatriate families, most of whom are on secondments to the offices of major Japanese companies in the London area.

Akira Koji, Suzuyo Kosan's UK Property Manager, says many of the houses were purchased with alarm systems - but before the switch to Secom, he was called every time there was a false alarm or actual break ins.

With much of the group's property portfolio in Japan already secured by Secom, it was simply a matter of time before the London operation followed suit.

But the clincher came during a visit by the group's President.

"We were looking at some of our properties when I received a call that an alarm had been activated at one of our houses nearby," says Akira Koji.

"It turned out to be a false alarm, so our President suggested we talk to Secom immediately".

Hisano Hori, Secom's liaison executive for the Japanese community, says all houses in the portfolio have been brought up to the same standard of protection with complete new systems - or equipment upgrades - where necessary.

The Acton houses are protected by Secom with hard-wired alarm systems, which Secom offers to the residential sector with remote monitoring, a 24 hour key response service, and regular maintenance.

Secom also offers a wire-free system which is quick to install and comes with the same support options.

Hisano Hori says: "One of the problems with the old systems in the Acton houses was the frequency of false alarms, often due to poor training".

"Each time there was a false alarm the property manager was called, and an engineer had to check the system in case there had been a serious fault.

If an alarm is activated now, it simply alerts operators at the Secom Alarm Receiving Centre, who follow appropriate procedures, if necessary calling Secom key response officers or police.

Key response officers from Secom's Perivale office also provide random patrols through the area.

Secom's engineers visit each property once every six months to give the alarm systems a thorough check over.

And when a new tenant moves in, a Japanese speaking Secom employee explains the security system in detail.

Akira Koji says the new regime is working well.

"I don't get called at night any more if there is a problem - but there are virtually no false alarms any longer, and we have not had any attempted burglaries since Secom started protecting the houses," he says.

"This is because the Secom brand is a strong deterrent, which makes the community much safer".

"If there is a problem, the Secom team will deal with it and report back afterwards".

"Tenants and I have a much better life in London as a result".

Secom plc installs innovative tailored security solutions for commercial, public sector and domestic customers throughout the UK.

Its ongoing quality service includes 24-hour monitoring of intruder and fire alarms, and video surveillance systems.

Secom plc is the UK arm of a major global electronic security group, established in the 1960s.

The group operates in 12 countries and its 47,000 employees serve two million customers.

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