Key Holding & Alarm Response
We hold a set of keys to your commercial premises and attend when the alarm activates — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, across Mallow, Charleville, Mitchelstown and Millstreet. Nobody on your staff gets the 3am phone call.
Key holding means Guard Force Security holds a set of keys to your premises in secure storage and attends on your behalf when the building needs to be opened, checked or secured. Most attendances follow an intruder alarm activation, out of hours.
We attend, assess, enter and check the premises, contact you and the Gardaí where appropriate, secure the building, and report back. We are a PSA-licensed contractor (licence 06967) based at 139 Bank Place, Mallow. We do not install or monitor alarms — we are the response that turns up.
Why an alarm on its own isn't enough
An alarm tells somebody that something has happened. It does not put a person at your property. Until somebody attends, nobody knows whether it was a fault, a cat, wind on a roller shutter, or a van being loaded with your stock — and the building stays open to whatever caused it.
That is the gap key holding fills. It is also, as it happens, what An Garda Síochána expects of a premises with a monitored alarm.
What the Garda alarm policy actually requires
An Garda Síochána's published policy on monitored intruder alarms is specific about keyholders, and it is worth knowing where your premises stands:
“To effectively respond to a verified intruder alarm, the Garda Síochána require that a key holder is informed and that they attend in the shortest time possible at the premises.” An Garda Síochána — Policy on Monitored Intruder Alarms, section 1.6
The policy's own alarm checklist asks whether you have been provided with a list of keyholders who can attend the premises within 30 minutes. And the consequences of nobody turning up are set out plainly:
- Section 1.7 — failure of a keyholder to attend after a verified alarm means the activation is recorded as a false alarm.
- Section 1.8 — when three false alarms are recorded against a premises in a three-month period, no further Garda response will be afforded to that premises.
In other words, a premises whose keyholder repeatedly cannot get out of bed can end up with no Garda alarm response at all. A professional keyholder who attends every time is how that is avoided. You can read the policy in full on the Garda website.
What happens when your alarm activates
- We are notified — by your monitoring company, your alarm system or by you directly.
- A patrol attends. Our vehicles are already out on North Cork roads at night, not setting off from another county.
- External assessment first. The officer checks the perimeter and access points before going in — the safest way to establish what has happened.
- Internal check. Using your keys, the officer enters and checks the premises, including the reason for the activation where it can be established.
- Escalation if needed. Break-in, damage or anything suspicious: you are contacted and the Gardaí are called as appropriate.
- Secure and report. The building is secured as far as possible, the system reset where we can, and you get a report of what was found.
How your keys are handled
- Keys are held in secure storage, not in a glovebox.
- They are not labelled with your business name or address — a key that identifies the door it opens is a liability if it is ever lost.
- They are used only for the agreed purposes at your premises.
- End the service and your keys come back to you.
Scheduled lock-ups and emergency access
Alarm response is the most common use, but not the only one. Clients also use key holding for scheduled opening and locking of premises, for letting contractors in out of hours, and for emergency access when a fire alarm, water leak or power failure means somebody has to be at the building quickly.
Works with your existing alarm and monitoring
You do not need to change your alarm system, your installer or your monitoring company to use Guard Force as keyholder. We slot in as the response side of an arrangement you already have. If your monitoring company needs our details as nominated keyholder, we will provide them.
Patrols active now
Need security on site?
Our patrol team is active across North Cork right now. One call, day or night.
What is key holding?
Key holding is a service where a licensed security company holds a set of keys to your premises in secure storage and attends on your behalf when the property needs to be opened, closed, checked or secured — most often after an intruder alarm activation. It means no member of your staff has to drive to the premises at night and be first through the door.
Why not just use a staff member as keyholder?
Many businesses do, and it usually works until the night it doesn't. A staff keyholder has to be reachable, sober, willing to drive out at 3am and willing to walk into a building that may have someone in it. There is also a health and safety question about asking an employee to do that. A professional keyholder removes all of it.
What does the Garda policy say about keyholders?
An Garda Síochána's policy on monitored intruder alarms states at section 1.6 that to respond effectively to a verified alarm, "the Garda Síochána require that a key holder is informed and that they attend in the shortest time possible at the premises". The policy's own alarm checklist asks whether you have been provided with a list of keyholders who can attend within 30 minutes. Section 1.7 states that failure of a keyholder to attend after a verified alarm results in the activation being recorded as a false alarm.
What happens if nobody attends my alarm activations?
Under the same Garda policy, section 1.8 states that when three false alarms are recorded against a premises within a three-month period, no further response will be afforded to that premises. Because a keyholder failing to attend is itself recorded as a false alarm, repeatedly not turning out is one way a premises loses Garda alarm response altogether.
How are our keys stored?
Keys are held securely and are only ever used for the agreed purpose at your property. They are not labelled with your business name or address — a key that identifies the building it opens is a liability. If you end the service, your keys are returned.
What happens when you attend our alarm?
We attend, assess the situation from outside first, and then enter and check the premises. If there has been a break-in or damage we contact you and the Gardaí as appropriate, secure the building as far as we can, and stay until it is safe to leave. Either way you get a report of what was found — not just a missed call at 4am.
Do you monitor alarms or install alarm systems?
No. Guard Force Security does not install alarm systems and does not operate an alarm monitoring station. We are the physical response that attends the property. We work alongside whatever alarm system and monitoring company you already use, and there is no need to change either.
Is key holding available outside business hours?
Key holding is an out-of-hours service by nature. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including bank holidays. Most attendances happen at night and at weekends, which is exactly when calling a staff member is least welcome.
Get in touch
Set up key holding.
Tell us about the premises and your current alarm arrangement — we'll come back with a straightforward proposal.
Security enquiries and emergencies, day or night
Quotes, accounts and general enquiries
Co. Cork, P51 W3FV — North Cork
365 days a year — including bank holidays
