False hold-up (personal attack) alarms are an unwanted drain on police resources. A recent study by Essex Police showed that between 13 November 2015 and 12 January 2016 they received 163 false calls (92 from commercial premises, 71 from domestic premises) and 9 genuine calls. The breakdown of causes of false calls was as follows: CAUSE NUMBER Subscriber or staff error 66 Unknown or system fault claimed 53 Alarm company technician on site 16 Builders and decorators 13 Cleaners and children 8 Power cuts 7 Total 163 In relation to the above, 17 systems required confirmation of hold-up to be implemented because of previous history. The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) has asked us to write to you to request that you do as much as you can within your remit to reduce the number of false hold-up alarms.