One in three retail sites are blacklisted by police at any given time because of false alarms leading to time-wasting call outs, according to new research.

The survey of 40 retailers by managed security specialist SSS found that 98% of store alarms had been falsely triggered at some point, and when police arrived at stores in response to an alarm, it turned out to be a false alert 73% of the time.

With police resources stretched, forces throughout England and Wales had started to clamp down, warned SSS, with many withdrawing their guarantee of a response to burglar and personal attack alarms after just one false call out. Previously retailers would have been given a warning.

"On one hand you have an increase in the amount of violence directed at shop staff, and then you have the effectiveness of panic buttons decreasing, said David Barrington, SSS group business development director.

"Many retailers do not even know which of their stores have been blacklisted by the police. They are placing their staff in a vulnerable position."

Police, retailers and security system suppliers needed to work together to find ways to resolve the problem, he added.

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