The P Alert Meth Alarm, which has been assessed by ESR and Telarc, is the world’s first patented meth alarm. It’s an electronic device, about the size of a TV remote, which can be placed anywhere inside a house.

It can detect all levels of meth chemicals in an enclosed area. This allows it to detect the smoking and manufacture of meth in real time, as well as prior smoking or manufacture of meth.

Developed and patented by Jamie Hansen, and his business partner Alan Spies, the alarm is a useful tool for landlords, property managers, and anyone letting out properties for accommodation.

That’s because it is continually monitoring the air in a property. If chemicals are detected, it activates a silent alarm and sends information about the location and the level of contamination to a designated mobile number.

If the level is high – above a certain level – authorities will be informed. If contamination is low to medium, a report will be sent to the owners and/or managers of the property. P Alert Methamphetamine AlarmIt can also send a weekly data report and it sends an alert if the device is moved or tampered with in
any way.

Spies says the alarm allows landlords and property managers to identify when there’s an issue and act promptly to solve the problem before major damage is done.

“It’s meant to be damage preventing. A lot of the responses to meth contamination are ambulances at the bottom of the cliff. This device allows you to be at the top of the cliff.”

The alarm acts as a deterrent to tenants or people using the accommodation and it enables landlords to avoid getting expensive testing between each tenancy. They often get asked how the device stands up in the Tenancy Tribunal but they haven’t actually been to the Tribunal yet, Spies says. “That’s because no tenant has been prepared to challenge the readings and data collected by the alarm as they show exactly when contamination has happened and how often. And if it’s a meth lab the readings are just off the scale.”

Hansen and Spies work on a business model whereby they sell regional licenses to people who want to sell and distribute the product. “So far there’s been great pick-up of the product and we are receiving excellent feedback from users.”

It’s possible to find out more about P Alert, which Spies hopes will help more landlords better protect their properties from meth, at https://palert.co.nz/.