ECHO (Electronic Call Handling Operations Ltd) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established by the UK’s leading security sector bodies and associations with the support of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). ECHO is the alarms industry response to the NPCC’s desire to speed up the police response to verified alarm activations through use of digital automated alarm transmission technology. Its digital communications hub provides automatic transfer to police control rooms of confirmed intruder and hold-up alarm activations, faster alarm verification, accurate incident information and automated event incident acknowledgement. The NPCC estimates the ECHO approach will deliver a saving of between 1 and 4 minutes in deploying responders to intruder and hold up alarm calls, which in their experience can be crucial time saved in arriving at alarmed premises. The rollout will begin across Police Forces and Alarm Receiving Centres from early 2021.