***** Intruder Alarms, Third Edition. By Gerard Honey; published by Newnes (Elsevier), www.elsevier.com [1] (Web); 368 pages; $39.95.

With this book, Gerard Honey updates his 2003 edition of the same title, keeping current with evolving standards while outlining the skills and tools necessary to install and maintain effective intrusion alarm devices and systems.

Honey fulfills his mission by presenting the types, uses, and ranges of intruder detection devices. Designers and installers will find informative sections on protective switches, detectors, and associated wiring. Especially noteworthy are tips for when not to use certain devices and installation precautions to take to avoid malfunctions. Readers with less experience, meanwhile, will benefit from device descriptions including advantages and disadvantages of each.

The book is not without shortcomings. In the age of the design-base threat, perimeter intrusion detection is often required as far from protected assets as possible. But due to application variables in perimeter-based systems and their often-customized design, Honey provides only a general overview.

The author focuses strictly on intrusion alarm systems and devices, omitting topics like integration of intrusion systems with other security systems such as video and access control. Discussion of this topic would be welcome in a fourth edition.

The book’s extensive discussion of European standards is useful for those with international clientele, but a majority of American readers might be tempted to skip ahead. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note the significantly advanced European security standards regarding security equipment and suppliers. Many countries could learn a few things from the thorough British model.

This book is recommended for the reference library of security specialists, generalists, consultants, and designers alike, from those new to security engineering to the old salts of the intrusion detection sea.

Reviewer: James R. Black, CPP, PSP, CET (Certified Engineering Technologist), is an Irvine, California-based, senior security consultant for TRC, a multidiscipline infrastructure engineering firm with 95 offices nationwide. He is a member of ASIS International and the International Association of Professional Security Consultants.

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