North-West London

Fire Safety & Security Services in Harlesden

Fire alarm, fire door, CCTV and intruder alarm installation for shops, landlords and small industrial occupiers in Harlesden, Kensal Green and Stonebridge.

NW10 mixes a Victorian shopping street, terraced housing and small industrial units. Our engineers come from Hayes along the A40 to Hanger Lane, then the A406 North Circular.

IDS Global has traded since 2011 from one office at 27-37 Station Road, Hayes, and is a member of the IFSM and the FPA.

Businesses and buildings in Harlesden

Brent's Local Plan treats Harlesden as the highest-order centre in its South Place, with Portuguese, Brazilian and Jamaican restaurants and shops around the Jubilee Clock. The Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan passed a referendum on 30 May 2019 with 90 per cent in favour on an 11 per cent turnout, and the Local Plan sets a minimum of 797 new homes in its area to 2041. The 1970s Stonebridge estate has been rebuilt in phases since 2004 as 1,850 homes, 1,100 of them for social rent. In November 2025 plans were approved for 180 more affordable homes at Argenta House, opposite Stonebridge Park station.

The Local Plan puts Harlesden between the Park Royal and Wembley industrial areas, so many local jobs are in manufacturing, wholesale, logistics and transport, and it records the highest level of business start-ups in Brent alongside Wembley. The Brentfield Locally Significant Industrial Site includes Artesian Close, which its marketing describes as 18,734 sq ft of small units from 800 to 2,000 sq ft with an automatic gated entrance, CCTV and 24 hour access.

Fire Alarm Installation in Harlesden

Much of Harlesden trades from Victorian parades with flats above. In February 2025 a fire at a Park Parade restaurant with flats above damaged the whole ground floor and destroyed the extraction ducting up to the second floor. Crews led seven people, including a baby, to safety, and the Brigade said there were no working smoke alarms in the property.

We design and install BS 5839 systems for restaurants, takeaways and shops with residential floors above, with detection suited to kitchen and extract areas and sounders arranged so the flats are warned as early as the staff below.

Fire alarm installation

Fire Door Installation in Harlesden

In November 2025 a fire in a mid-terraced house converted into flats on Stonebridge Park damaged most of the ground floor. Firefighters in breathing apparatus rescued one woman and five other people were evacuated.

We supply and fit certified fire doors with matching frames, seals and closers to flat entrances, kitchens and stair enclosures, and survey existing doors that no longer close properly.

Fire door installation

CCTV Installation in Harlesden

Police.uk data for August 2025 to July 2026 puts about 235 shoplifting offences and 242 vehicle crimes inside the Harlesden and Kensal Green neighbourhood, and about 279 and 276 in Stonebridge. For High Street shops we cover the entrance, till and stockroom door, with recordings staff can export for the police.

Because Brent's conservation appraisal criticises security shutters and grilles, we favour discreet internal cameras and agree any external fixings with the council first.

CCTV installation

Intruder Alarm Installation in Harlesden

Small units of 800 to 2,000 sq ft, such as those at Artesian Close, often hold tools and stock. A shared gate and CCTV, where provided, protect the perimeter but do not detect someone inside your unit after hours.

We install graded intruder alarms with door contacts, shutter and roof light detection and monitored signalling, so a keyholder is called when the unit is empty.

Intruder alarm installation

Harlesden and Kensal Green conservation areas

Brent designated the Harlesden Conservation Area in March 1994. Its appraisal describes tall, narrow fronted premises of three and four storeys on a dog-leg High Street, with the 1887 Jubilee Clock as the focal point. The Jubilee Clock, The Green Man and 105 to 109 High Street are Grade II listed, and All Souls Church is Grade II*. The appraisal says added security shutters, grilles and oversized signs have eroded the street.

Kensal Green Conservation Area, designated in March 1990, covers 776 to 864 Harrow Road, facing the wall of Kensal Green Cemetery across the borough boundary. The cemetery, in Kensington and Chelsea, is a Registered Park and Garden with listed structures including that wall. Brent's appraisal names replacement windows and doors as the main cause of decline, and an Article 4 Direction applies.

Brent selective licensing in Harlesden and Kensal Green

Harlesden and Kensal Green is one of three wards, with Dollis Hill and Willesden Green, under Brent's first selective licensing designation. It began on 1 August 2023, runs for five years and covers homes let to a single person, two people or one household. For applications from 2 February 2026 the council lists a fee of £1,040, paid in two parts.

From 2 February 2026 Brent also requires an additional licence for shared homes of three or four people from two or more households, at £1,040.

Fires on the High Street and Craven Park Road

Willesden fire station on Pound Lane is one of three London Fire Brigade stations in Brent. At 3.16am on 21 August 2024 crews attended a High Street shop with flats above. The shop was destroyed, and the Brigade attributed the fire to the failure of a lithium battery in a vape. In February 2026 six engines went to a Craven Park Road building with a shop below and a flat above, where a man was rescued from a first-floor window.

Between 7am and 8.30pm the Brigade does not attend alarms at most non-residential premises unless a fire is confirmed. Flats, HMOs and listed buildings stay on its list of premises attended at any hour.

Recorded crime in Harlesden, Kensal Green and Stonebridge

We counted police.uk street-level crimes inside each Metropolitan Police neighbourhood boundary for August 2025 to July 2026. Police.uk anonymises locations, so the figures are approximate. Harlesden and Kensal Green recorded about 3,636 crimes, including 242 vehicle crimes, 235 shoplifting offences and 102 burglaries. Stonebridge recorded about 3,241, including 279 shoplifting offences, 276 vehicle crimes and 138 burglaries.

Services available in Harlesden

Frequently asked questions

Does a house in Harlesden let to one family need a licence?

It can. Selective licensing has applied in the Harlesden and Kensal Green ward since 1 August 2023 for homes let to a single person, two people or one household, with a £1,040 fee for applications from 2 February 2026. A shared home of three or four people from two or more households needs an additional licence from 2 February 2026. Check the address with Brent Council before letting.

Can we add security shutters or external cameras on the High Street?

Take care. The Harlesden Conservation Area appraisal names security shutters and grilles as a cause of harm, and the High Street includes Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings. We favour internal cameras and compact housings, and recommend confirming external fixings with Brent Council.

Will the fire brigade attend our shop alarm during the day?

Not necessarily. Between 7am and 8.30pm the London Fire Brigade does not attend alarms from most non-residential premises unless a fire is confirmed. Flats above are still attended at any hour. Agree who checks the panel and who calls 999.

What fire protection does a restaurant with flats above need?

Kitchen, extract ducting and stair all matter. The February 2025 Park Parade fire burned the ground floor and ducting up to the second floor. A fire risk assessment should check detection in the kitchen and flats, fire doors on the stair, and the escape route from the upper floors.

We rent a small unit near Brentfield Road. Is estate CCTV enough?

Estate gates and CCTV, where provided, cover shared areas, not the inside of your unit. Artesian Close is marketed as gated with CCTV and 24 hour access. A monitored intruder alarm in your own unit, with clear keyholder details, protects stock and tools when the site is empty.