Advanced Overwatch is SSAIB certificated (NIRE127) specifically for Intruder Alarm Systems, Visual Surveillance Systems (VSS) and Access Control Systems. Plenty of security firms put a logo on the van and hope nobody asks about it. This article explains what SSAIB certification actually involves, and why it should matter to you when you are choosing an installer in Northern Ireland.
What the SSAIB is
The Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board is a UKAS-accredited certification body for the security industry. It is not a trade association you pay to join. Firms are audited before they are registered, re-audited regularly afterwards, and can have registration withdrawn if standards slip. Along with the NSI, it is one of the two inspectorates recognised by police services and insurers across the UK.
What an SSAIB audit inspects
The auditor does not sit at a desk and tick boxes. An audit covers:
- Real installations, inspected on site against the relevant British and European standards: BS EN 50131 for intruder alarms, BS EN 62676 for CCTV and BS EN 60839-11 for access control.
- Design and specification records, so each system can be shown to match the risk it was sold against.
- Maintenance records, call-out response and fault handling.
- The business itself: security screening of staff to BS 7858, insurance cover, complaints handling and record keeping.
Certification is issued per discipline, not for the company as a whole. A firm can be certified for intruder alarms and hold nothing at all for CCTV, so the scope matters as much as the logo. Advanced Overwatch is SSAIB certificated (NIRE127) specifically for Intruder Alarm Systems, Visual Surveillance Systems (VSS) and Access Control Systems.
Why insurers care
Commercial policies, and some household policies where higher value contents are involved, often carry an alarm condition. The usual wording asks for a system installed and maintained by an NSI or SSAIB Certified firm, with a certificate of compliance to prove it. We issue that certificate on completion. If an alarm is fitted by an unregistered installer, a condition like that is easy to fail without realising, and the moment you find out tends to be the moment you claim. If you are not sure what your policy requires, check the wording or ask your broker before ordering any work.
Police response for monitored intruder alarms
For a monitored intruder alarm to be eligible for police response in Northern Ireland it needs a Unique Reference Number from the PSNI. URNs are only issued for systems installed and maintained by a firm certificated by a recognised inspectorate, such as the SSAIB, and monitored by an approved alarm receiving centre. Intruder alarm monitoring is provided through our monitoring partner’s NSI Gold-accredited ARC, which handles alarm signals and follows the agreed response procedure. Advanced Overwatch operates its own CCTV monitoring centre (CCTV ARC). A system from an uncertificated installer cannot hold a URN no matter how good the hardware is, which leaves you and your keyholders on your own when it activates.
How to check a firm is certified
Do not take the brochure at its word. Ask for the registration number, then look it up yourself on the SSAIB website, which has a public search of registered firms. Check three things: that the firm is currently listed, that the trading name and address match the company quoting you, and that the certified scope covers the work you are actually buying. Advanced Overwatch is SSAIB certificated (NIRE127) specifically for Intruder Alarm Systems, Visual Surveillance Systems (VSS) and Access Control Systems. You can check our certification independently.
Advanced Overwatch has been designing, installing and maintaining certificated security systems across Northern Ireland since 2017, based in Coleraine and working country-wide. Call 028 7087 8077 to arrange a survey.