After nearly 450 false alarms were triggered in Squamish in 2018, the District of Squamish and RCMP announced they will be charging for repeat false calls.
The Fees and Charges Bylaw will be enforced when a company's security system makes multiple false calls. The second false alarm will cost the company $100 if it comes within a year. A third false alarm in the same timespan will result in a $150 fee, then $200 for a fourth or any additional calls past that. Unpaid fines will be attached to property taxes.
"We are doing this in an effort to incentivize companies to update their building security systems so that alarms are not triggered unnecessarily," Natasha Golbeck, the District's senior director of community services, said in a press release.
"In some cases, police have attended a building multiple times in one night because of a sensor issue with the security system. It is a waste of resources and prevents officers from doing more important community work."
Golbeck added that the District and RCMP hadn't been enforcing the bylaw recently due to a lack of administrative resources, but that the number of false alarms increased too much.
Companies that have previously had security alarm issues can expect a letter warning them of future fees.
