In a bid to reduce the pressure on the Ontario Provincial Police, the Town of Essex wants residents that have a security alarm to register it.
Police face a growing number of false alarm calls, and they could tie up resources in the event of a real emergency.
Essex has a bylaw requiring those who own security alarms to register them with the town or face a $180 penalty if it goes off for no reason.
The new penalty goes into effect in January.
Those who registered won't face a fine the first two times the OPP has to respond to a false alarm at their property.
There is an online form to fill out to register a security system, but residents and business owners can also call Town Hall at 519-776-7336 ext. 0.
