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PD6662 / EN50131 - Intruder and Hold-up Alarms

All new intruder systems must comply with PD6662 and DD243 to meet your insurer's requirements and to generate a Police response.

All of Chubb's products are rigorously tested to ensure they meet current EN standards.

In order to comply with PD6662, Chubb will provide a comprehensive Security Audit to determine the level of risk to your premises and the grade for your security system.

When it comes to security, Chubb is the name you can trust.

British Standards (BS4737, BS7042 and BS6799) which used to govern the specification, installation and maintenance of Intruder and Hold-up Alarm systems were phased out in favour of European Norms, known as EN50131. These replaced British Standards on 1st October 2005 and are supplemented by PD6662.

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pd6662 and en50131 explained

What is EN50131?

Since joining the European Union (EU) in the 1970’s, there has been a requirement to harmonise standards across the EU to remove the barriers to free trade. UK Standards known as British Standards are gradually being replaced by “European Norms” (EN’s) which are the European equivalent.

EN50131 is one of several groups of standards being introduced. These are:

EN 50130 - General requirements such as the environmental and EMC requirements
EN 50131 - Intrusion systems
EN 50132 - CCTV
EN 50133 - Access Control
EN 50134 - Social Alarms
EN 50135 - Hold-Up Alarms
EN 50136 - Alarm Transmission Systems (i.e. signalling to the ARC)
EN 50137 - Combined or Integrated Systems
EN 54 - Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems

These were created for 3 reasons:

To enable security equipment manufacturers to sell products in all EU countries
So that security installation companies and engineers could work in any country
Providing more visibility and understanding for customers to judge the quality of products sourced from any EU country

EN50131 consists of 7 parts:

EN 50131-1 - General Requirements
EN 50131-2 - Intrusion Detectors
EN 50131-3 - Control and Indicating Equipment (i.e. the control panel and keypads)
EN 50131-4 - Warning Devices (i.e. bells and sounders)
EN 50131-5 - Interconnections (i.e. how detectors talk to panels)
EN 50131-6 - Power Supplies
EN 50131-7 - Application Guidelines (i.e. installation and maintenance)

When was EN50131 introduced?

The first UK publications featuring European Norm EN50131 appeared in 1997 and 1998 and the BSi published a "Scheme for the application of European Standards for intruder alarm systems" which was numbered "PD6662:2000".

In 2002 it was decided to phase in EN50131 to replace British Standards BS4737, BS7042 and BS6799. What was then considered a 12 month phasing process was subsequently extended until 1st October 2005 when the old British Standards were dropped and new systems had to be compliant with PD6662:2004. PD6662:2004 became an enabling document with which it was possible to adopt EN50131 in the UK.

During its development, the writers of PD6662 recognised many of the problems in how EN50131 had previously been introduced in the UK, in particular the lack of standards for components (detectors, control panels, sounders, etc). These problems were resolved, however further developments will inevitably follow.

How does PD6662 / EN50131 differ to the old British Standards?

PD6662 differs to former British Standards, in that:

It determines not only system, but also component design requirements for Intruder and Hold-up Alarm Systems
It requires a comprehensive risk assessment to determine system design criteria
It applies to both hard-wired and wire-free systems
Systems are required to be “Graded” to reflect the risk (Grade 1 = Low Risk / Grade 4 = High Risk)

Should I upgrade my existing system to comply with PD6662?

If your system currently complies with old British Standards and operates effectively then there is no need to make any changes.

If you need to make a major upgrade to your old system then the upgraded system will need to comply with PD6662. This will be required by your insurer.

If you lose Police response and the URN is deleted, any system requiring a new URN will need to be upgraded to comply with PD6662.

Should my new system comply with PD6662?

Yes, any new system should be installed to comply with PD6662, and DD243 (if the system is Police calling)

How can I be sure that my new system complies with PD6662?

Your security system installer will need to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment to determine system design criteria. This takes into consideration the nature of the premises, the area around the premises, the contents of the building and its construction. Based on all of thes factors a "Security Grade" can be determined.

What is a "Security Grade"?

In EN50131 the Security Grade is described in terms of the type of intruder and how much effort they would put into a burglary.

A typical view at present could be:

Grade 1 would only be of interest in domestic properties which are most at risk fropm opportunist thieves (without an insurance requirement for an alarm system).
Grade 2 would be most domestic properties and low risk commercial properties where a likely intruder will be more prepared and may have a limited knowledge of intruder systems (e.g. florists)
Grade 2 'X' is a variation of Grade 2 where a system is not monitored
Grade 3 would be for high-risk domestics and most commercial properties where likely intruders will spend time planning a burglary (e.g. shop with cigarette sales)
Grade 4 would be for extremely high-risk domestic and higher risk commercial properties where the likely intruder will understand intruder systems and will plan their intrusion in detail (e.g. bullion stores)