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In some cities the police put alarm calls at the bottom of the list, if they respond at all, because an overwhelming majority of the time it's a false alarm. They just don't have the manpower to respond to every alarm incident. Some cities also charge/fine the homeowner for false alarms after the first incident.
Years ago, in Raleigh, I lived in the NCSU area. Our apartment complex was probably half filled with students. I worked nights, so when I was home, I was up really late. I watched a suspicious car pull into the central parking lot, with 4 guys inside. They sat in the car, staying really low, ducking down in their seats, for 15 minutes or so. I called 911. After a bit longer, they opened the doors, and got out, crouching down and trying to sneak around behind the cars. I again called 911. They made their way around the back of the building across the lot from mine, out of my line of sight. They snuck behind shrubs, etc....looking very much like they were up to no good. They were out of view for a while, and I was on the phone to 911 a 3rd time, asking exactly what the holdup was, there was most likely a "breaking and entering" going on, still in progress! I was told they were busy, and on the way. This was a Wednesday night, around 1:30am. The guys eventually come back around the building, still crouching, sneaking, etc. They tried to break into the pool house. They couldn't get in, so they climbed the fence, and went in from the inside of the fenced in pool area. By this time, I've called 911 several times, and nearly 50 minutes have passed since I first called! I even told the dispatcher, that if someone was raped or murdered in one of those apartments, it was going to look really bad, when the public finds out you refused to act promptly. The guys eventually crept back to their car, and got back in it. They sat there, ducked down for a while. I was on the phone yet again, telling the dispatcher that they were about to leave, and offering a description of the car, when the RPD finally came up the street. It's one street, that comes up from the main road, and loops around the pool. One way in, one way out. I'm trying my best to give them directions, as to which car the guy are in. I was giving a description through the dispatcher. The car cranked up, and the guys drove away, right by the cop...who did nothing. I have no idea if another cop followed them later, or what, but the cop di nothing, didn't turn around, stop them, etc. They simply drove away. I have NO faith in RPD to handle emergencies with any urgency! They let a B&E and vandalism happen, and could have easily caught the perps in the act! They took over 1 hour to respond, and let the guys leave, without even so much as a blink of an eye.
In response to your question about an experienced thief knowing the average is 10 minutes that should limit them to a specific target. I would say make sure your most valuable items are in a safe that is bolted to something that takes longer than 10 minutes to remove. My guess though is that unless you're living in a mansion or are a specific target based on your profession (where they might assume you keep large sums of cash at home) you will more likely be visited by a regular thief who isn't as familiar with response times.
Alarm systems are just like cameras. They are a tool that documents when something bad happens. One of my houses came with one, I simply used it as a noisemaker that terrified me when it went off for no reason, usually just after I fell asleep...
Some criminals will set off the alarm, wait for pd to show up and write it as a false alarm, then break in. I'd use it (unmonitored) if the house came with it, but a good insurance policy is a better investment in my opinion...
It may take the police 10 minutes. But that is after the alarm company calls them. First they call the house and see if you set it off. Then they call the alternate number , if you gave them one. If no answer there, then they call the police...so add another 10 minutes on to that. I have set the alarm off (motion detector on the freezer, the steak was more valuable then the office safe! ) at 3 am at a national chain restaurant by mistake while working after they closed. The cops showed up about 15 minutes later with guns drawn. Same resturant, different location, I was changing out their 'to go room' and accidentally disconnected the hidden panic button. The police were there in 3 minutes with a shotgun in my face...lol I was wide awake that night!
Do the police here respond? Where I previously lived, the police no longer responded to alarm systems due to all of the false alarms-our city also had huge complaints about several-hour wait times for things like bread-ins!
After their new rule, the only time they would respond is if the alarm company called the house and the homeowner confirmed they needed help! A lot of good that does if I'm A) NOT HOME or B) held at gunpoint!
When I heard that I was paying for an alarm that would not be responded to, I cancelled the service and just kept the sign out front.
The best thing to do is put a sticker on the window and have good insurance. Messing around with criminals trying to take them out or follow them just puts you in harms way.
Property crimes are not even on the priority list of most PDs. They don't care, it happens too frequently. I've known a lot of people, who had to beg the cops to come and write a report for stolen property. A lot of cops will tell you, I CAN fill out a report if you HAVE to have one, but your stuff is long gone, and there's nothing we can do about it.
Most seem to place more importance on writing traffic tickets.
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