Does Fitting a Burglar Alarm Really Put Burglars Off?

It is a fair question to ask before spending money on a system: does a burglar alarm actually stop someone breaking in, or does it just make noise after the fact? From what we see fitting and maintaining alarms across Kent and Medway, the honest answer is that an alarm is one part of the picture, not a guarantee, and it works best alongside other visible measures rather than on its own.

A visible bell box on the front of a property, along with a keypad glowing near the door, is a clear signal that a home is protected. In our experience, opportunistic attempts are more likely to be put off by obvious signs of security than by anything hidden away, simply because most burglars are looking for the easiest available target rather than a specific house. An alarm that is seen is doing part of its job before it has even sounded.

What an alarm cannot do is physically stop someone getting in, or guarantee nobody attempts it. Its role is to detect and alert, sounding locally and, if fitted with a communicator, notifying you or a keyholder so action can be taken quickly. That is why we generally recommend thinking about an alarm as one layer of a wider approach, alongside CCTV and decent external lighting, rather than the whole answer on its own.