National Security Inspectorate Sentinel House, 5 Reform Road, Maidenhead, SL6 8BY E: nsi@nsi.org.uk | W: nsi.org.uk Page 1 of 3 © NSI 2025 Date: 8th January 2025 To: All NACOSS Gold, System Silver and ARC Gold approved companies and applicants TECHNICAL BULLETIN No: 0069 Mandatory requirements for URN handling Summary To improve the speed and accuracy of ECHO call handling and a joint effort to combat the issue of failed connections due to inaccurate URN data, all NSI-approved companies must ensure robust and precise handling of URNs. Compliance with this Technical Bulletin will enhance operational efficiency and uphold the integrity of the NSI certification process. Please ensure your organisation’s adherence to these requirements by the stated deadline below. Implementation timescale for existing and applicant companies • Immediate compliance : Companies are encouraged to adopt these requirements promptly. • Full compliance deadline : April 2025. Companies will be audited against ISO 9001:2015 & ICP 1 with immediate effect and any non- conformances recorded against these will have to be satisfactorily addressed. Note ; Prior to April 2025, audit notes only will be raised. Details of the changes 1 Introduction This bulletin serves as a formal mandate to all NSI approved companies under the following schemes: • ARC Gold • NACOSS Gold & System Silver The purpose of this mandate is to emphasise the critical importance of accurate URN (Unique Reference Number) handling. Accurate and unaltered URN transmission ensures efficiency and reliability in the ECHO call-handling system, facilitating faster response times by police forces. Technical Bulletin No: 0069 Page 2 of 3 © NSI 2025 This initiative aligns with our UKAS commitment to uphold the highest standards of service, industry best practice, operational excellence, and an ongoing industry alignment with key stakeholders such as the NPCC. 2 Purpose The objective is to ensure that: 1. URNs issued by police forces are incorporated into company processes with robust handling procedures. 2. URNs are accurately passed from installers to Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs). 3. BS8484 lone worker URNs obtained by ARCs handled accurately. 4. No modifications are made to the URN format, length, or prefixes during this process. 5. ARCs accurately transmit the URN data, either via the ECHO system or traditional methods, directly to police call centres. 3 Mandated requirements URN handling process • Incorporation into documented processes : Companies must include a dedicated section within their documented management systems for the handling of URNs. • Accuracy in transmission : Companies must ensure URNs are passed exactly as issued by police forces, with no changes to format, length, or prefixes. • Validation by ARCs : ARCs are required to validate the accuracy of URNs received during the commissioning process through to the ECHO system and periodically revalidate this information to ensure ongoing accuracy and alignment with police-issued data. Additionally, ARCs must have a defined process to address call rejections, including correcting discrepancies and revalidating the URN information as necessary. 4 Audit and evidence requirements • As part of the NSI audit process, companies must present evidence demonstrating accurate URN handling. • This requirement will now form part of the mandated management system processes for Systems Silver approval in line with ICP 1 and will be audited against ISO 9001 Clause 8.5.1 “Control of Production and Service Provision” or other applicable clause for Gold and ARC approvals. Technical Bulletin No: 0069 Page 3 of 3 © NSI 2025 5 Future revisions These requirements will be formally incorporated into the next revisions of the following NSI documents: • ICP 1 – Systems Silver management and technical requirements for installers of electronic security systems • SSQS101 – The NSI Quality Schedule for the application of BS EN ISO 9001:2015 to NACOSS Gold Approval • SSQS102 – The NSI Quality Schedule for the application of BS EN ISO 9001:2015 to NSI ARC Gold approval Until those revisions are released, this Technical Bulletin serves as the mandatory requirement for approval. 6 Recommendations While there is no obligation to retroactively review or correct existing URN data, it is highly recommended that: • any pre-fixes or altered URN information are reviewed for accuracy; and • ARCs ensure that historical URN data aligns with police-issued records. Additionally, ARCs are encouraged to work with ECHO and connected police forces to ensure the accuracy of URN data between databases. 7 Compliance monitoring Auditors will review the inclusion of URN handling procedures within management systems and require evidence of accurate URN passage during audits. While it is unlikely to affect approval status immediately, findings may be raised that will require action and failure to address these could ultimately impact approval.