Car dealerships hold high-value stock on open forecourts, run several buildings on one site and are rarely closed for long. Hawthorne installs, maintains and monitors CCTV, intruder alarms, fire alarms, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers for dealer groups across Norfolk and Suffolk, with keyholding and out-of-hours alarm response, all under one contract.
Short answer
A dealership needs forecourt and perimeter CCTV that works at night, a monitored intruder alarm with separate areas for the showroom, workshop, parts and valet bays, a BS 5839-1 fire alarm that suits a workshop, emergency lighting tested to BS 5266-1, and serviced extinguishers. Add 24/7 monitoring, keyholding and response, and dual-path signalling so the site stays monitored through the phone network switch-off.
Why dealerships are different
- Stock outside. The most valuable assets sit on an open forecourt overnight, so night-time image quality and a fast response matter more than anywhere else.
- Several buildings, one site. Showroom, workshop, valet bay and parts store often each need their own alarm area, set and unset by different teams at different times.
- Workshop roller shutters. Heavy doors that open and close all day need robust alarm contacts, checked and replaced as part of every service.
- Workshops change the fire risk. Vehicle bays, fuel, batteries, compressors and dust mean detector choice matters, and refits and new MOT bays need the detection adapting as the building changes.
- Estates built up over years. Groups that grow by acquisition take on systems from different installers, so one maintainer, one set of records and one standard across every site keeps things simple.
What we look after for dealer groups
- Forecourt and perimeter CCTV, including PTZ cameras, with remote viewing for site managers and group head office.
- Remote CCTV monitoring, with a control room that can dispatch a patrol and call the police.
- Monitored intruder alarms zoned by building and area, including parts stores, MOT bays and secure parts-delivery areas.
- Monitored fire alarms, with signals to an alarm receiving centre and false alarms checked with the site.
- Emergency lighting and fire extinguisher servicing, including moving sites to water-mist extinguishers.
- Keyholding and out-of-hours alarm response, so staff are not called out at night.
Desira Group: one standard across every site
We have looked after Desira Group, one of East Anglia's largest dealer groups, for several years. Our work covers the group's showrooms, workshops and valet bays across Norfolk and Suffolk: intruder alarms, fire alarms, CCTV, emergency lighting and extinguishers on one maintenance contract, with 24/7 alarm monitoring, remote CCTV monitoring and keyholding, all on a single monthly invoice.
One consistent standard. We ensure every system across the group conforms to the current British Standards, and keeps doing so as standards change. Every site receives a full service with written records for each system, any recommendations are planned and prioritised with the group, and signalling upgrades are scheduled ahead of the phone network switch-off so monitoring is never interrupted.
Growing with the group. When the group opens a new dealership we design and install its fire detection, intruder alarm and CCTV. When a site is redeveloped, such as a new MOT bay, we adapt the systems around the building work, including a secure parts-delivery area, so the site stays protected throughout. Managers can view their cameras remotely, and so can group head office.
Monitoring that responds. Our control room watches alarm signals and forecourt cameras around the clock. If it sees anything suspicious it dispatches a patrol and calls the police, and where a site needs it we can keep a guard on site overnight.
Other motor trade work
Beyond franchise dealerships, we look after a vehicle rental depot in Norwich (monitored fire and intruder alarms, CCTV, and signalling upgraded for the switch-off), CCTV on poles across a vehicle salvage yard, and mobile patrols and event guarding for Porsche Centre Norwich.
What we check at every dealership
- Fire alarm: zone chart and logbook on site, detection in every room and void the design requires, detectors replaced when they reach the end of their life, call points protected and of one type, and cabling properly fixed.
- Emergency lighting: every fitting lasting the full three-hour test, test switches that work, and cover added where layouts have changed.
- Extinguishers: in date, on brackets, signed and suited to the risk, with fire blankets in staff kitchens.
- CCTV: clear night images across the forecourt, lenses free of sun damage, and every camera powered and recording.
- Intruder alarm: every detector and shutter contact tested and working.
- Signalling: two independent paths to the monitoring centre, neither relying on the analogue phone network.
Maintenance standards
BS 5839-1 recommends fire alarm servicing at intervals of no more than six months. BS 5266-1 calls for a monthly functional test of emergency lighting and a full-duration test every year. BS 5306-3 calls for annual extinguisher servicing. Maintenance contract customers get a 4-hour emergency response and same-day attendance for non-emergency faults.
Frequently asked questions
Does a car dealership alarm need police response?
Police response needs a unique reference number (URN) from the police under the NPCC security systems policy. To get one, the alarm has to be installed and maintained by an installer certified by a UKAS-accredited body, such as SSAIB, and monitored by a compliant alarm receiving centre, with confirmation so that a single false trigger does not bring a police call. We install and maintain police-response-capable systems and handle the URN application. Many motor trade insurance policies set their own alarm conditions too, so check your schedule.
How do you protect vehicles on an open forecourt overnight?
With cameras that give a clear image at night across the whole forecourt and perimeter, monitored by a control room that can challenge, dispatch a patrol and call the police. Good night images matter more than camera count: lighting, lens condition and camera position decide whether footage is usable. Vehicle keys should be locked away out of hours so a break-in does not become a stolen car.
Can one contract cover all our dealerships?
Yes. We put every site and system on one maintenance and monitoring contract with a single monthly invoice, one point of contact and one set of service records, so group management can see the state of every site in one place.
What does the PSTN and 3G switch-off mean for our alarms?
Alarms that signal over copper phone lines or older mobile networks need moving to digital paths before those networks close. BT is switching off the analogue phone network, and UK operators have already closed 3G. We upgrade monitored fire and intruder alarms to dual-path IP and 4G signalling, so a single failed path does not leave a site unmonitored.
Can you work around a showroom that is open seven days a week?
Yes. We plan noisy and disruptive work around trading hours, keep alarms and cameras running during building works, and adapt systems when workshops, MOT bays or showrooms are rebuilt, so a site is never left unprotected overnight.
Get a dealership survey
Contact the team for a free survey of one site or your whole group. We walk each site with your manager, check every system against current standards and give you a site-by-site plan and an itemised quote. See our accreditations and other sectors.
Last updated: October 2026