Safeguarding People at Risk
CONNECTING YOU TO HELP IN AN EMERGENCY
When it comes to safeguarding those under your care, nothing should be left to chance.
NM Protect is a cutting-edge panic alarm system that provides a reliable and discreet solution to safeguard people at risk, offering both a quick response in case of an emergency and vital evidence.
In 2000, National Monitoring was awarded the National Framework for the provision and monitoring of temporary alarms available to all UK Police Forces. We design, manufacture and monitor our own alarms with the majority being installed in response to high-risk domestic abuse incidents. Our outstanding services have ensured we have retained this contract for over 25 years.
Real results
In recent years, criminal justice leaders have highlighted a persistent gap between reported crime and actual offending in cases involving rape and domestic abuse. Although prosecution and conviction rates have improved following reforms across the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), this has not been taken as evidence that the underlying level of offending is decreasing.
More than two million adults experience domestic abuse each year in England and Wales, with police recording over 900,000 domestic abuse-related offences annually. Yet the number of cases progressing through the courts remains far lower, particularly in rape investigations where many cases do not result in charge.
Rather than signalling falling crime, changes in reporting have raised concerns that some offences are not being fully captured at the earliest stages. Support organisations continue to warn that domestic abuse remains widespread and victims still face barriers to reporting and pursuing cases.
Criminal justice leaders caution against assuming reductions in reports reflect reductions in offending, stressing the importance of understanding reporting behaviour, evidence gathering and victim support to improve outcomes.
Drawing on expertise in providing temporary alarms, a significant opportunity was identified to gather additional evidential material that could support increased arrests and referrals to the CPS.
National Monitoring has worked alongside police forces to help protect vulnerable individuals in their homes while continuously developing its alarm systems. Recorded 999 calls from domestic abuse victims are recognised as important evidence for law enforcement, but they do not capture the crucial information leading up to an incident. This understanding led to the development of evidential audio alarms, designed to record audio evidence in the critical moments before and during an event.
Using specialist knowledge and technology, NM Protect was developed to provide a rapid response in an emergency. The service offers a comprehensive range of personal safety solutions, working in partnership with police and related agencies to support and protect individuals assessed as being at high risk of domestic abuse.
Operation Protect
National Monitoring worked in partnership with a Metropolitan Police safeguarding team and academic researchers to evaluate the system through a pilot programme. Operation Protect was established to assess the effectiveness of an evidential audio panic alarm compared with a standard alarm.
The trial demonstrated that captured audio evidence strengthened cases and led to earlier guilty pleas from those involved. Audio recordings used during police interviews prompted a number of significant changes in plea decisions and helped save valuable police time. During Operation Protect, arrest rates increased by 100% and charges rose by 57%.
The results demonstrated that legal action could still be taken even where a victim did not attend court, helping to ease the stress on individuals while ensuring cases could still be pursued.
The College of Policing stated:
The overall impact was greater police action and criminal justice outcomes against domestic abuse perpetrators for high-risk victims
Read the full report of Operation Protect here evaluating the efficacy of new, innovative, audio-recording panic alarms.
These innovative evidential audio temporary alarms are now being utilised by police forces across the United Kingdom, giving officers access to crucial audio recorded both before and during incidents. The captured evidence includes examples of assault, threats and abuse, controlling and coercive behaviour, as well as breaches of bail conditions and domestic violence protection notices.
NM Protect operates with a continuously looping audio recording function, capturing everything that happens around the device. In the event of a threat or emergency, pressing the panic button instantly saves the audio from the crucial ten minutes leading up to the incident, as well as the event itself. This real-time audio capture can be invaluable, offering police a clear insight into the situation for more effective investigations and prosecutions.
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24/7 Continuous Audio Recording ensures that critical audio is always being captured, ready to be saved when the panic button is pressed.
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With one simple press, the device stores the pre-incident audio and provides real-time recording throughout the emergency, creating a detailed audio timeline.
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The stored audio can serve as crucial evidence, helping police with investigations and contributing to the successful conviction of offenders.
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We believe safety should be accessible to all. Our NM Protect alarm is competitively priced, making high-grade security affordable without compromising on quality. If you have vulnerable people under your care, NM Protect delivers peace of mind.
When safety is on the line, trust National Monitoring to be the first line of defence, delivering critical support in the moments that matter most.
Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our outstanding performance metrics—over 97% of emergency alarms are handled within 10 seconds, far exceeding industry standards. This rapid response ensures that incidents are addressed without delay, providing critical support during emergencies. Our objective is to provide enhanced protection for the public whilst supporting police with superior technology, rapid response times, and the industry’s best standards for incident management.