Under a new proposal, a county in central Canada will try to decrease the number of false alarms its police force responds to by instituting escalating fines.
Under the proposal, businesses and homeowners with security systems will have to pay $75 for a first offense and up to $500 on the fifth call.
The Norfolk Police Services Board recently accepted a draft bylaw outlining the fines and passed it on to council for approval. Norfolk police are fielding 1,200 false alarms every year due mainly to alarm systems that haven’t been maintained, according to The Simcoe Reformer.
The bylaw allows for false alarms that are caused by power outages or lightning strikes, where the alarm owners will not be considered at fault.
The bylaw, which also includes an appeal process, will now go to council for approval.
